Back to You
by AspiringWriter1588
Summary: After a messy breakup, Sonny and Chad find themselves back in LA after spending many years apart. A story of the ups and downs of Sonny and Chad's adult love story. SEQUEL "LIFE WITH YOU" IS NOW UP!
1. Chapter 1

**To preface this, this chapter is a prologue and the rest of the story will be set** **a few years in the future. I know that my summary was vague, but trust me, I have a lot of drama prepared. Just didn't want to spoil it! Enjoy!**

* * *

Sonny's POV

It's been a year. A long, exhausting, draining year. That's how long Chad and I have been dating long distance. It went for the most wonderful relationship, a relationship envied by everyone, to a relationship that absolutely no one could ever want to be apart of. We don't fight; that isn't the problem. We just never see each other and it's hard to love someone that you don't see.

When our shows finally wrapped, Chad and I were still head over heels for each other. That was a year ago. Now, Chad is working on a movie in Puerto Rico while I'm preforming every Saturday night on SNL in New York. I guess you could say that I have an addiction to sketch comedy. I still love Chad, but the memories of what we had and the possibility of what could be are the only things that keep me in a relationship.

I'm currently in the conference room, discussing ideas with cast members and writers for upcoming episodes when my phone rings. We're all casually talking so they don't mind that I excuse myself.

"Hey, Chad," I say as I walk out the door, shutting it behind me.

"Hello, gorgeous."

The sound of his voice makes my heart flutter.

"I tried to call you all last night, but it kept going straight to voicemail," I tell him as I lean against the wall.

"Oh, really? That's strange," he says nonchalantly before moving to another subject. "So, uh, what are you wearing?"

That boy has the power to make me blush even over the phone.

"Chad, I- I can't do that right now. I'm at a work," I tell him softly into the phone, hoping that no one can hear as I try to hide a grin.

"Well, I'm thinking a plaid blue and black shirt, dark wash jeans with rips in them, and some black sandals."

I look down at my outfit, checking off every item that he listed.

"Ok, I really need to change my outfit because apparently I wear it way too often," I say with a slight laugh.

"Maybe I can help," rings Chad's voice.

However, his voice doesn't come from over the phone, but from behind me. I turn around to see him leaning against the door with the widest smirk on his face.

My jaw drops and my eyes widen at the sight of him. I haven't seen him in person in almost a year.

"Chad," I say breathlessly, running over to him and giving him a hug. I can hear him chuckle in my ear. "I can't believe you're here."

I pull away from my hug. "Yeah, well, since you couldn't come see me I thought-"

I cut him off with a kiss as I run my hands through his hair. He picks me up off the ground and his hands tightly wrap around my waist. He quickly sits me down and our lips part from each other.

He takes a few seconds to look around the hallway. "So this is a step up from So Random?" he asks me teasingly. "Cause at Condor, at least you made enough money to afford more than one outfit."

"Shut up!" I laugh, shoving him playfully as he brings me into a tight hug once again. In this moment, that entire year of being without him is worth it.

"Gosh, I missed you so much," he says against my forehead before he kisses it gently.

I grab him by the neck and pull his lips down to mine, kissing him once again.

We pull away when the door opens and knocks into us. I blush as I see our director walking out, smirking at me.

"I know you're on a TV show, but work shouldn't be this fun," she reminds me with a hidden smile.

Chad and I awkwardly laugh before I introduce them.

"Melissa, this is my boyfriend, Chad. Chad, this is my director, Melissa," I say, as they shake hands.

They exchange words before she walks off.

"She knew who I was. You didn't have to tell her," he whispers into my ear.

His arrogance is even somehow refreshing.

"Of course she does. She watches old episodes of Mackenzie Falls for inspiration," I say with a giggle. His mouth drops open in an attempt to fake being offended. "I'm kidding!"

Chad has, and always will, take Mackenzie Falls seriously, and no matter what I say about the show, he will always bring up the fact that I was obsessed with it before we started dating.

"You know that you love it," he insists and thankfully, he keeps on talking so that I don't have to respond. "Alright, so I made dinner reservations at seven at a very nice and very expensive restaurant." I roll my eyes at him before making a face when I realize what time he mentioned.

"Is that too late?" he asks.

"Actually, it's a little early. We usually stay here until about eight."

"Then, I made dinner reservations at eight thirty at a very nice and very expensive restaurant," he says, grabbing both of my hands.

"Better," I say with a grin.

"Sonny Monroe to wardrobe please," calls the voice over the intercom.

"Oh, I've got to test out looks for a new sketch, but I will see you at eight thirty," I promise him.

He nods, "Very good."

I take a deep breath in as I examine. "Gosh, it feels so good to see you." I start to walk off, but he tugs my hand and brings me in for another kiss.

"Yes, it does," He says as we pull apart. I smile at him as I walk off. "Eight thirty. I'll text you the address," I hear him call after me.

* * *

Unfortunately, we lasted a little longer than I expected so I walk into the restaurant at nine. The hostess points me over to Chad's table, where I see him dressed nicely in a suit and spinning his phone around on the table. He is obviously bored and I feel guilty for making him wait so long. On top of that, I'm wearing what I wore to work, which is completely casual for this type of setting.

"Hey," I say as I set my purse down on the table, taking a seat in the chair across from him. "I'm so sorry. I really didn't expect work to last that long. But on the bright side, we wrote a completely hilarious sketch," I offer with an exaggerated smile.

He meekly grins at me for a slip second, but a frown quickly reappears on his face. I start to go on about how sorry I am, but I think he cuts me off.

"No, it's fine. I'm just not used to sharing you, and I hadn't seen you in almost a year, and I just...it's fine. Work is behind us both for the rest of the night. We have no more distractions and we're completely focused on each other," he tells me, reaching across the table and grabbing my hand.

I smile at him.

A waitress comes and we order, never letting go of each others hand.

"So, tell me more about this sketch."

He must've really missed me. We all know how Chad feels about comedy shows. However, I think he has garnered a new respect after dating me. I go on and on about how we came to the idea of the sketch and all of the funny lines. Even Chad laughed at them so I feel pretty confident about it. Chad then goes on to tell me about his movie, though he refuses to completely spoil it for me.

"So you're completely done, huh?" I ask him as I take a bite of my spaghetti.

"Yeah," he nods. "We wrapped last night."

I cannot help but get the slightest twinge of hope. Maybe he could move to New York and try and get a gig here, now that he's finished.

He takes a sip of water before continuing, "And I wanted to wait and tell you in person, but I auditioned for the lead in a Steven Spielberg movie a while back. I didn't tell you cause I didn't think I'd get the part, but I got the call this morning."

He grins widely at me, and I cannot help but emulate his grin.

"Chad, that's amazing! That's huge!" I exclaim.

"Thanks," he smirks. I can tell he's about to say something arrogant. "I think we all knew I had it in me. It just takes time for people to recognize true mastery of the art of acting."

I roll my eyes at him, laughing as I do so. "You're so obnoxious," I giggle.

"Yeah, and what's great is that it's being filmed in the States," he says, tapping a finger against the top of the table.

"Where?" I ask urgently. I hope that he's just trying to trick me and build everything up until I realize that he's filming in New York, but my dreams are quickly shattered.

"LA," he tells me. I try my best to keep a smile on my face. "I haven't been there in a year. Gosh, I'm so excited to go back home. LA's a big place for us. That's where the Falls was and So Random too. You like LA, right?"

I find his question odd so I eye him before answering with a slow, "Yeah."

He grins before swiftly moving to a different subject. We continue to talk and talk, laughing and reminiscing about our times at Condor Studios.

"I can't believe that Bitterman beat up Grady and Nico," he laughs. "I mean, she thought they were Bigfoot at first, but how did she not realize eventually?"

"I'd say it was payback for making her read their horrific essays," I laugh. "I can't believe you used a Mackenzie Falls script."

"Sonny," he says, imitating himself from many years ago. "Sometimes life imitates art."

I laugh at him. "I was worried about how caught up in your show you were."

"Yeah, you called me out for it, remember? It was...gosh, when was it...oh yeah! It was before you had that secret prom and you told me there was nothing real about me. Gosh, you wounded me," he shakes his head with a smile still on his face.

"You needed to hear it," I tell him matter-of-factly before thinking back to the secret prom. "You always confused me because you acted like such a jerk and then you'd go and dance with me cause you knew that I wanted to have a special dance with a special guy. That was one of the sweetest things anybody has ever done for me."

"Do you know how much courage I had to work up to do that?" he asks with a small smile. "Then, you make me press play and the moment was ruined. I was crushed."

I smile at him earnestly. I never knew that. "You never told me that. I always thought you just were too smooth that you pulled off all these sweets things with ease."

"Oh, no. That's true," he assures me seriously before the two of us burst out laughing.

"Speaking of all that," he says, messing with his jacket. "I have something-"

My phone suddenly rings, taking us out of the moment. I pull it out of my purse and look at the caller ID.

"It's work," I tell him.

"Don't answer that," he tells me, almost desperately.

"They're just gonna keep calling," I tell him before answering the phone.

* * *

Apparently, they lost my measurements for the costume so now, I'm currently standing in the fitting room at the studio as the costume designer takes them. I feel bad for fleeing Chad, but he did show up unannounced and work is work. That's not to say that I'm unhappy that Chad showed up; I'm ecstatic. But even though I'm happy, it's still inconvenient. Our lives just aren't meshing well right now, unlike they did at Condor Studios.

Before I left, he gave me an address to a hotel and the key to the room he's staying in. He wants me to meet him there when I'm done. The disheartened look on his face when I left the restaurant made my stomach turn over so I rush the lady along as fast as I can. Unfortunately, by the time I'm done with that, our producer stops to talk with me about upcoming sketches and I'm out of there by 11:30.

I walk into the hotel room at 12:02 AM where I spot Chad, his jacket off, sprawled out on the bed, asleep. However, that is not the only thing that I spy. On the bedside table, I see a small black box. The look of it is all too familiar. A ring is certainly in there. My heart starts beating faster as I walk over to pick it up, examining it. I take a seat at the foot of the bed and gently roll it from hand to hand.

I hear a slight murmur and I look over my shoulder to find Chad awake.

"Hey," he says in a groggy voice.

I lightly smile at him before turn around completely to show him the box.

"I didn't open it," I tell him.

He lets out a sigh yet a smirk still plays upon his lips.

"I wanted it to be a surprise..." he trails off, standing up and walking around to the front of the bed. He grabs the box from me and kneels down in front of me, resting his hands on mine.

"Sonny, I love you, and I want you in my life forever," he tells me.

I quickly place one of my hands on top of his and weakly and nervously smile at him, "Wait."

But he doesn't.

"I know that it's sudden," he grins. "Okay? But hear me out. All my time in Puerto Rico was great, except one thing was missing. And I realized that everywhere I go, something will always be missing unless you're with me. You're the one I want with me when I make a movie, and you're the one I want with me when I don't. Because nothing in my life matters, unless you're in it."

He smirks at me as he spills out his speech and I let out a sigh once he's paused. "Chad, it's...it's not that simple."

I stand up and walk over in front of the bed and he turns around with a confused look on his face.

"Of course it is. I mean, yeah, there are minor details, but we'll figure it all when we get back to LA," he tells me, standing up and walking towards me.

So that's why he was asking me about my opinion of the city.

"Chad, I have a job here. I can't just leave. I know that you love LA and I do too, but New York is my home now," I tell him, running a hand through my hair.

"Then, I'll move here. It's settled," he says with a shrug.

"No, Chad, no. I'm not asking you to do that," I tell him, grabbing his forearms and gently shaking him. "I'm not asking you to walk away from your dream because if I do, you're going to wake up one day and resent me for it, just like I would resent you if you asked me to walk away from mine."

He just stares at me, awestruck and broken-hearted.

"In another year. You'll be done with your movie and I'll be done with my second season. And we'll be in a much better place," I offer.

"Sonny," he says, his voice cracking a little as he takes a seat on the bed, "this is the first time we've seen each other in a year. We've gone days without talking, almost weeks. We facetimed, what, five times? This past year has been really hard on our relationship; who knows where it'll be in another one."

I take a seat beside him. "Chad, if you don't think we can last another year, I don't understand why you're talking about forever."

He looks at me incredulously before standing up suddenly and pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're saying no," he reiterates in shock.

"No!" I assure him, standing up with him and grabbing him by the arms. "I'm not saying no. I'm saying not now. I want to marry you someday. I love you so much-"

"Just not enough," he interrupts me.

I look into his eyes, pleading with him, before hugging him tightly. "Let's just take this back," I whisper into his ear. "We'll just pretend like this never happened."

"We can't," he tells me.

I pull away.

"Chad, why does it feel like you're telling me-."

"Goodbye," he finishes for me sadly.

He runs a hand through his hair, taking a seat on the bed and laying down. I climb onto the bed and cuddle up to him, resting my hand on his chest.

* * *

I wake up to the sun shining brightly through the windows, wanting this to all have been a dream. But instead, I open my eyes to find myself alone in the room. Chad's voice rings in my head:

"Goodbye."

* * *

 **If you want to see another chapter, please review so I know that people want me to continue! It would mean a lot! Thanks in advance!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Three Years Later..._

I take a seat in the taxi, telling the driver my destination as I buckle my seat belt. Surprisingly, it's raining, something it usually never does in the sunny town. I ride in silence, not bothering to listen to music. Instead, all I hear is the harsh beat of the rain against the windows. Usually, I would have listened to music, but I need to think right now. About what I'm going to do and what I'm going to say.

My hands wonder down to my phone, and I find myself scrolling through pictures. The most recent are of the SNL wrap party. I just wrapped my third season on the show last week, and I think I have gotten everything I can out of the experience. I learned something about myself that I didn't know before. Music has always been a hobby of mine, but seeing the performers every week on SNL made me realize that it is more than a hobby; it's a passion. I have decided that I want to try music as a career. Of course, I would have to start with it on the side. I still love acting and maybe while I juggle the two, I can see which passion triumphs.

I keep scrolling until I'm extremely far back, far back enough to find the pictures of the So Random finale wrap party. Seeing the pictures gives me a cold chill. It's almost eerie how long ago that was. As I look at the pictures, I realize how lucky I was. My cast were some of my best friends and I learned on SNL that you won't always have that. The cast was great, but we were not nearly as close as Tawni, Nico, Grady and I were. I still talk with them occasionally to check up on them, but it isn't the same.

Tawni, now a full-time fashion designer, owns the constantly growing and ever so exclusive brand, _Threads_. I think we all new that Tawni Hart would take the world by storm one day, and she realized that her true passion was, in her own words, "making the world as pretty as me". I recently heard that Tawni got a job working on the costume for an upcoming movie, which I'm sure she adores. The fashion business has forced Tawni to grow up quite a bit, and she isn't same, self-centered girl she was three years ago. Then again, we've all grown up.

Nico is still acting, on a new comedy show filmed at Condor Studios, starring alongside his best friend and the other half of the dynamic duo, Grady. It's pretty impossible to separate the two. It's like a two for one deal. Nico is still playing the field, as he always has, but Grady has settled down with his sweetheart, Mel. They got married two years ago, and thankfully, I was able to attend the wedding. They're precious together, and Mel is now co-owner of the Patio. She hasn't given up on music though. I'm pretty sure she still plays every Friday night.

Zora is currently in school, becoming an even bigger genius than she was before. She's at Stanford and the last time I saw her (as well as the rest of my former cast mates) was at Grady's wedding.

And then there's Chad. He's probably deciding his next big career movie. The Spielberg movie was a hit, but it also came out two years ago. Since then, I haven't heard much from Chad. Either he's very good at keeping secrets or he's taken an extremely long unannounced break. He hasn't been in the public eye for a while, and I don't see him going to any awards shows so his life right now is pretty private.

The driver stops the car suddenly, and I realize that I have reached my destination. A beautiful house that houses an equally beautiful blonde haired celebrity that I used to spend almost every second of every day with. I pay the man his money, and he drives off. I walk up to the front door, take in a deep breath, and knock.

The door opens and I see the shocked face of my former costar.

"Sonny!" she exclaims, her mouth dropping open and she wraps her arms around me excitedly.

There's a first.

"Aw, Tawni! You're a hugger now!" I smile, hugging her back tightly.

We both pull away, each of us with huge smiles on our faces. "No," she assures me. "But I had to make an exception just this once. What in the world are you doing in LA? Why didn't you call?"

"Because if I did, then I wouldn't be able to see you all shocked like that," I say with a laugh. "Can't I come in?" I ask her.

"Oh yeah," she says, moving out of the way and closing the door behind me.

Tawni's house is a surprisingly normal size, but it is decorated exquisitely. It's all very modern, everything from the furniture to the appliances.

"So are you just here on vacation or what?" she asks me, raising an eyebrow as she places her hands on her hips. I'm sure Tawni has heard that I quit SNL.

"No," I shake my head. "I think I'm staying."

Tawni starts to squeal excitedly and she claps her hands in delight.

"Sonny, this will be just like when we were on So Random, except we're not on So Random, and I'm a fashion designer, I don't even know what you are anymore, and I'm prettier than I was, which is kind of a miracle," she says.

I laugh and roll my eyes at her. She continues to speak, "All that brings me to the question: why did you decide to comeback?"

"Well," I say, slowly, avoiding her eyes as I walk around the room with my hands clasped behind my back. I quickly turn around and my voice gets a little bit higher, but only a smidge. "Come on. LA is like my second home."

She stares at me for a bit until she makes up her mind. "You're here for Chad, aren't you?"

"What?!" I exclaim, my eyes widening. "Girl, please! Chad and I are over. No, no. You're so wrong."

She doesn't seem convinced, but I guess she tries to humor me by asking, "Ok, then why are you here?"

"I just wanted to come back," I say, perhaps too forcefully and too loudly. "That's all."

"Whatever you say," she says dully before her eyes light up again. "Wanna surprise some more people?"

A small smirk appears on her lips.

* * *

The Patio has changed quite a bit. It's a lot bigger, there's now a bar, and lots of room for dancing. Apparently, they put on some killer shows at night. Tawni and I walk into the restaurant when we see Mel, taking orders. Tawni and I grin at each other before slowly walking up to her as she walks away from the table. She turns around as she turns a corner and runs right into us.

"Boo!" I shout before bursting out into a fit of giggles.

"Ah!" she exclaims before realizing who that "boo" emitted from. "Sonny! What are you doing here?! I haven't seen you in years!" She pulls me in for a hug as well.

"I know! It's been way too long. How are you and Grady?" I ask her.

"Amazing," she says with a dreamy grin before snapping back to reality. "But, no, back to you. Are you back for good?"

I nod with a wide smile.

"What are you here for?" she asks me.

I answer quickly, "It was just time to come back. I just missed LA."

Her and Tawni exchange glances before Mel lightly chuckles. "You're here for Chad."

She walks past me and I follow her, my mouth open and ready to protest. "No, I'm not! I'm here for many reasons."

"And one of them is Chad," she says confidently. Suddenly, her teasing smile fades and she looks at Tawni. I turn around to find Tawni frantically shaking her head.

"What?" I ask the two, looking back and forth between them in an attempt to catch any body language that would help me determine what they're being so secretive about.

We all stare at each other for a minute before Tawni bursts out, "Let's go see Nico and Grady!"

I decide to let it go; I'm too excited to see them to get caught up in whatever Tawni and Mel are being shady about.

* * *

We arrive at Condor Studios, and memories flood my mind. This was the place I spent the best four years of my life at. It looks exactly the same. I half-expect to walk in and find the Mackenzie Falls snobs eating at their table, teens dressed as Gladiators, and people from our show running around with wacky costumes and props. However, when I walk inside, it is filled with different people. The layout is the same and so is the decor, but it's filled with people I've never met before.

I walk down the hall to find many TV show posters hanging on the wall and I even spy a few So Random posters, but of course, at the end of the hall is a huge Mackenzie Falls poster. I avoid eye contact with it and follow Tawni and Mel down the hallway. We arrive at Stage 1, and Mel knocks on a door with the name "Nico Harris" on it.

Mel turns around to look at me. "They always hang out in his dressing room before Nico has the better TV for video games," she says with light laugh. I stand against the wall, adjacent to the door.

The door swings open and I hear Nico's voice. "Grady, your woman's here. Tawni, what are you doing here?" he asks her, sounding surprised but happy.

"Just thought I'd surprise you guys," she says.

I hear Grady's voice, "Well, no offense Tawni, but we see you at least once every, what two weeks? Not much of a surprise."

"The surprise isn't me, you idiots," she says in her typical Tawni manner.

"Oh, what is it?" they as in unison.

"Come out and you'll find out," Mel tells them.

After a beat, they walk out past me and I grab both of them by the torso. They jump and shout in an over exaggerated way before turning around to see my huge grin.

"Sonny!" they both shout in shock and joy. We all hug and their smiles are as wide as mine when we all pull away. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying!" I tell them, deciding to spare them the speech about how LA is my home.

"You're kidding!" Grady grins.

"Did you get a role down here or something?" Nico asks.

"No, but I just thought it would be nice to come back," I say with a modest smile.

They exchange glances before nodding.

"She's here for Chad," Nico says.

"She's here for Chad," Grady echos.

"Would everyone stop saying that?!" I exclaim. "I'm not here for Chad! I'm here because I love LA and because I just missed it! And because I missed you all and I can do everything that I could do in New York in LA and I...Ugh! I'm in LA for me!"

Perhaps I got too emotional and loud because they are all looking at me like I'm a wack job. They decide to back off. Good choice.

"So who wants fro-yo?" I ask in an extremely sweet tone.

"Hey, everybody, new girl's going on a fro-yo run," Tawni giggles.

We all laugh, except for Mel who doesn't get it.

"Fine, but only for old time's sake. What does everybody want?" I ask them.

"Strawberry with sprinkles," Tawni says. "And actual sprinkles. Not parking lot crumbs."

We all laugh.

"I'll have birthday cake," Grady says.

"Me too," Mel adds.

"A boring blend of chocolate and vanilla," Nico tells me. Grady laughs, but the rest of us look at him oddly. Maybe it's an inside joke.

"Alright, I'll be back," I tell them.

* * *

I walk the familiar route to the cafeteria and head to the frozen yogurt machine. It looks like the exact same one we've always used. It's scary how little this place has changed. No one else is in the cafeteria right now, which makes sense. People are usually rehearsing or filming around this time.

I grab a tray and start to fill up the cups.

"Excuse me, Miss," comes a familiar voice from behind me. "But when-"

I turn around and my mouth goes agape, much like the mouth of the man in front of me.

He looks exactly the same, just aged a little more and his hair is a bit longer. I forgot how beautiful he was.

"Hi," I say with a meek smile after we stare at each other for what feels like an eternity. He continues to just stare at me, but his mouth closes and his lips form a tight line across his face. "How long's it been?"

I walk towards him a little. He avoids looking me in the eyes as he thinks about my question before letting out a forced, almost sad laugh. "A few years."

"It feels longer than that, huh?" I say. He finally locks eyes with me and my stomach drops, but my heart soars. They're still that exact same shade of blue and for a split second, it's like nothing ever happened. It's like we never ended things and we're together, back at Condor Studios, looking into each other's eyes.

I realize that it will take a lot to get much of a response from him because he continues to just stare at me with his jaw clenched.

I start to walk towards him faster, ready to pull him into a hug."Gosh, Chad, I missed you so-"

He pulls away quickly and my arms stop, halfway in the air. I look at him in confusion and he looks at me with a look I've never seen. It always feels like the look of a parent scolding a child.

"I have someone," he tells me, shaking his head lightly.

My mouth goes agape, and it feels like everything that was so secure a few seconds ago is falling apart.

"I'm _with_ someone," he adds for clarification.

Yep.

Falling. Apart.


	3. Chapter 3

I sit on Tawni's coach as she plops down beside me, a small carton of Ben and Jerry's in hand along with two spoons. I take a bite, my eyes refusing to leave Ryan Gosling's face as I do so.

"He's so in love with her," Tawni groans as she takes a large bite.

"It's not fair," I moan, shaking the remote at the screen.

Tawni sighs dramatically and slouches into the couch. "Sonny, I need a guy like Noah except not poor and a prince," she tells me. I roll my eyes at her.

"Speaking of guys..." I trail off, playing with the strings on my pajama pants. "I saw Chad today." Tawni turns to look at me, her eyes going wide. "When I was getting us all frozen yogurt. It was a little deju vu-y."

"Did he...tell you?" she asks, looking at me with fear in her eyes.

"Yeah," I say with a nod, trying to keep a smile on my face. "He's dating again. Which is totally fine," I assure her. I pause before continuing, attempting to sound casual. "So what's her name?"

"Olivia." She says it as if even saying the word was offensive to me. "She's really nice."

She's nice? She's not a snobby, bottle-blonde with no brain cells who is only interested in Chad for his fame and money? That's the kind of girls Chad used to date, but he's matured quite a bit, especially since he dated me. I feel guilty for wishing that she was just a brainless gold digger. It would have made things easier. Chad being with a nice girl was almost unheard of before me. I don't want him dating a nice girl. I want him to date someone he can't possibly see a future with.

"You've met her?" I ask her, sounding too curious but I cannot help myself.

"Sonny," Tawni begins, looking at me knowingly. "This isn't So Random and Mackenzie Falls anymore. We all like her. You'd like her."

I don't want to like her.

"Tawni," I begin, looking at her as if I know something she doesn't. "I didn't come back for Chad, ok? I'm over it. It's been three years since we broke up. I'm happy for him...what's she like?"

"She's nice," she says with a shrug. "I'm not close with her or anything, but she's nice, smart. Just a good all-around girl. I'm going to save you from asking me all the questions you have about her and Chad and I'll go ahead and answer them. She's a makeup artist. They met on the set of that Spielberg movie he was in - _The Hard Way_. They started dating a few months after the movie came out and all the hype around him died down. Let's see...what else..."

I decide to help her out.

"What's Chad up to now? I mean, why was he at Condor Studios?" I ask her.

"He's on the script team for the show I'm working for," she says with a shrug. "He's really not been up to much. You'd think after that movie he would've done another one, but he just stopped."

My eyes go wide. Chad's first love, and for a long time his only love, was acting. I can't imagine that he'd throw that away to be a script writer. I dated him for quite some time and while he had always been interested in stories and story telling, he never mentioned that he wanted to focus on screenplays.

"He's quit acting?" I ask her.

"Seems like it," she says. "I really don't know why. I don't know how he's handled not being in the spotlight for so long."

I decide to let it go, unsure of what to say next. I don't want to seem too interested, as I shouldn't be. Thankfully, Tawni speaks again.

"Ok, if you didn't come here for Chad...why'd you come back?" she asks me, resting her head on her hand, her elbow propped on the top of the couch. She moves her blonde locks behind her ear and out of her face.

"Honestly, I was getting a little tired of SNL. I had been doing sketch comedy so long and I wanted something different. I-oh gosh, I'm going to sound ridiculous- but seeing all those performances made me want to do that."

Tawni's eyes light up and her mouth drops open. "Sonny, that's perfect! You have a killer voice, you write amazing songs! Sonny, you have to make an album!"

I cannot help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Don't you think I'd need a single before I made an album?"

"Sonny, I bet you have a ton of songs stored up just waiting to turn into a diamond selling album!" she exclaims, clapping her hands.

"You mean Platinum?" I ask her, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh who cares! You could easily get a record deal!" she encourages. I've never seen Tawni so supportive in my life. "Plus, if you become a singer, I could be your guest to the Grammy's and then Justin Timberlake and I could meet and fall in love."

There's the kicker.

"Number one, he's married. Number two, I honestly don't think I'd want to work with a label. I mean, all the ones out there are going to expect something of me and only let me market what they think will sell to my So Random and SNL fans. If I tell them that I want to sing serious songs, they'll just laugh in my face.," I tell her. I know that I have a point and by the look on Tawni's face, she agrees.

"Well, maybe you can produce yourself," she tells me.

I give a shrug. "I don't know. I'm too scared. But let's just drop it and look at Ryan Gosling's face."

"Ok!" she exclaims, turning up the volume as I take another bite of ice cream.

* * *

The whole gang and I are sitting at the Patio, watching as different singers preform for the next hour. They take an intermission after Mel's song, the crowd erupting into cheers as she steps down off the stage.

"That was awesome, honey," Grady tells her, giving her a side hug. She takes a seat next to him and I chime in.

"I loved it," I smile at her.

I spy Nico nudging Grady and motioning to the front entrance. All of us girls look at him oddly, until Tawni and Mel catch on. They all start to talk at the same time, really fast and loud, as if they are trying to distract me.

"Guys!" I exclaim.

They continue to speak until something shuts them up. A brunette girl approaches us, wearing leggings and a workout tank, holding a smoothie in hand. "Hey, guys. I was just coming in to get a smoothie. Are you guys just watching the performances?"

"Uh, yeah!" Grady says loudly. "Can't get enough of those performances. We all love them."

Nico stands up, moving his body so that he is right in front of me, blocking my view.

"Uh, Nico," I say, darting my head around his body to try and become part of the conversation.

Why are they all acting so weird?"

Nico backs up into me, falling into my lap.

"Oh, get off!" I exclaim, pushing him off with ease and standing up. The girl and I both exchange looks before smiling at each other.

"Hi, I'm Sonny," I tell her, holding my hand out to her.

"Olivia," she says, with a nod and a smile.

Olivia. I've seen her before and my mind goes back to that awful day. Of course. _That_ _'s_ Olivia. I also become concerned with the fact that she doesn't seem fazed by me. She has to know who I am and my past with Chad. Is her relationship with Chad that secure?

I gulp, but my smile never falters. "Your Chad's girlfriend, aren't you?" I ask her, the words taste disgusting as they leave my mouth.

"Yeah," she says with a nod. "And your Chad's..."

She awkwardly trails off and I just shake my head, "Nothing. I'm Chad's nothing."

It goes silent and, as if it couldn't get anymore awkward, Grady had to point out the obvious.

"Awk-ward," he says in high pitched opera voice. We all turn to him, as if he just said the stupidest thing in the world.

Which he had.

* * *

I'm back at Condor Studios, running over to stage two. Tawni left her jacket here while she was doing measurements for the actors, and since she's letting me sleep at her house (free of charge), I offered to go get it for her. As I walk through the doors, I half expect to see the Mackenzie Falls set: Mackenzie's library, Mackenzie's school courtyard. But instead, I see a teen girl's bedroom and a school hallway. I instantly know where to go, heading to wardrobe. I find the jacket, retrieve it, and head back out when I see him, sitting in a director's chair and tapping on a script with a pencil.

I slowly approach him, "Hey," I say because that's all I know to say.

He looks up from his script. "Hey."

I can feel his eyes burning through me, reading me, but I cannot look away.

"Whatcha working on?" I ask him, trying to start some kind of conversation.

"Uh," he says, as if trying to come up with an answer. "Just a script. What are you doing here?"

"Tawni left her jacket." I raise up Tawni's jacket as proof.

"Oh," he says softly with a nod. "Tawni's got you running around for her like old times, huh?"

He cracks a small smile and I let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, Tawni...Tawni's got quite a lot up her sleeve. She, uh, she wants me to...to get into music. Crazy, huh?"

He cocks an eyebrow at me. "That's not crazy."

The conversation stalls and I have to think of something to say.

"I met Olivia yesterday," I tell him with a small smile, attempting to laugh at the awkwardness. "She seems wonderful."

He pauses, as if he's holding something back, and the words spill out of him once he finally works up the courage to continue. "Why didn't you come to the premiere party? For The Hard Way? Two years ago in New York?"

After Chad finished his movie, he invited me to the release party that was being held in the city. It was an extension from him, an obvious attempt to reach out to me. When he called, I was almost in shock. Truly, I thought I wouldn't hear from him again until we accidentally ran into each other at a Hollywood party in ten years.

I let out a sigh. "Chad, I knew we weren't meant to be."

* * *

 **Alright, let me know what you think! I'd love comments and suggestions, just to give me some sign that people are reading and enjoying! Also, I know that there hasn't been a lot of Chad, but I promise there will be more and more as the story continues!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

I wake up from perhaps the most peaceful sleep of my life. Tawni _really_ knows her mattresses. I yawn as I climb out of bed, pulling the covers back up. I glance into the mirror on the way out the door, shuddering at the sight of my messy hair and my old t-shirt.

"Okay, where did you get that mattress because I had the best sl-" I stop mid-sentence when I see Tawni, elbows resting against her kitchen counter, and Chad standing beside her, hands stuffed in his pockets. They both turn towards me and I suddenly become self conscious about my lack of pajama pants on, hoping that my t-shirt covers enough. "Chad, hey," I say, trying to divert his attention away from my legs as I mess with my shirt, pulling the hem of it down as much as I can, "What are you doing here?"

My attempts appear to be futile, as I haven't met Chad's eyes once. "He just came by to drive me to work," Tawni tells me, looking up at him with somewhat of a smirk on her face. "Talk about a gentleman." Her tone was somewhat mocking yet grateful. Tawni had told me about how Chad and her were closer now, being that they work on the same show, just in different departments.

"Oh, alright," I say with a slow nod. "Well, I'm just gonna go get ready, but I'll...see you guys later." I turn around and let out a big sigh. Before I can open the door, I hear Tawni's voice. She must be loving this.

"Hey, Sonny, why don't you come by the studio today around lunch time and we can go grab some lunch?"

I slowly turn back around and give her a nod with a forced smile. She knows how embarrassing this is for me.

"See ya then," she tells me, holding in a laugh. I hurriedly open the door and shut it just as quickly once I'm in the guest room.

"Alright, you ready to go?" Chad asks her.

I cannot help but feel a little jealous of Tawni. Even if Chad has moved on, I still would rather it not be so awkward when we're around each other, especially in the company of others. I have decided that I really am over Chad and that I'm okay with him moving on. I'm over it. He's the one who proposed to me and I'm the one who rejected his proposal. _I'm_ the one who is not in love with _him_.

"Chad?" I hear Tawni's voice.

"Yeah?"

I hear their voices getting more distanced; they must be walking out the door.

"You still love her, don't you? Sonny?" she asks. I can hear the knowing smile on her lips.

I hear them stop, their footsteps halting against the hardwood.

"Olivia is waiting for us at the studio," is his reply.

I hear a set of footsteps walk out. Tawni's voices stays behind. "Oh, this is going to get interesting."

And with that, I hear the door shut behind them.

* * *

"And so Grady says, 'So _that's_ why it's called a clock radio: because there's both'!" We all burst out laughing at Nico's story.

"Aw, guys, I've missed this," I tell them with a grin on my face. "I just didn't realize how much until right now."

"I really never thought we'd all be back here in the studio cafeteria again, but life has a funny way of working itself out, huh?" Grady adds with a smile on his face as well.

"Oh, by the way, Sonny, are you coming to our season 3 premiere party?" Nico asks, taking a bite of his sub sandwich.

"Oh, sure!" I say excitedly. "When is it?"

"This Saturday night," Tawni interjects. "I'm going to be arriving a little late though because my mother is coming in from out of town and I have to go pick her up at the airport."

I haven't heard much from Tammy Hart in a while, but I suspect her and Tawni are on better terms than they used to be. Tammy is no longer her manager, seeing that she doesn't exactly need one anymore. That has probably helped their relationship a lot.

"Aw, I'm so excited to see her!" I clap my hands together.

Before anyone can say another word, I hear my name coming from an all too familiar mouth.

"Sonny," I hear from behind me. I turn around to see Chad. It throws me off to see that he's not in his Mackenzie Falls uniform, but jeans and zipped up jacket. "Hey, do you have a minute?"

I hesitate, turning back to my former cast who seem to be fully invested. I turn back around and nod with a small smile. "Sure."

I stand up and he motions for me to follow him out the cafeteria and down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" I ask him. I had assumed that he just wanted to talk to me in the hallway, but he seems to be taking me to a specific destination.

"That's always been a problem of yours, Sonny. Too curious," he tells me, eyeing me with a smirk. What does he have up his sleeve? I decide not to press him for anymore information. I'm enjoying things not being so awkward right now.

We finally arrive in front of Stage 11, a stage I didn't even know the studio had.

"Why are you taking me here?" I ask him, furrowing my eyebrows together in confusion.

"Just wait," he tells me with an excited grin on his face. He opens the two double doors and switches on the dim lights. I cannot help but laugh at his level of excitement. His holds his arms out as if he's showcasing the most wonderful thing in the world.

"What is it?" I ask with a smile.

"It's your studio!" he informs me.

I look him oddly. "What?" I ask him, my brain leading me to conclusions but I refuse to believe them.

"Rent free," he tells me, "but on one condition: that you make the best album of all time here." A satisfied smirk plays on his lips.

"Chad..."

"And I've already talked to Tawni so I don't think you have any excuses," he says, pointing at me with his index finger.

I step into the sound stage. It's relatively small and it even has a room for recording music already; I assume that's where theme songs were recorded and voice overs and such.

"Chad, did you...buy this for me?" I ask him, not wanting to sound ridiculous but coming to no other conclusions.

"I bought it for me, but that didn't exactly work out," he tells me. "I thought maybe one day I'd create my own TV show, and this stage was pretty cheap so I bought it. But I just...can't do it."

I tilt my head to look at him. "Why not?"

He sighs. "Because I want too many things right now, and I'm too scared to go after any of them."

My heartbeat quickens. He can't be talking about me.

He clears his throat, "I mean, I want to be a script writer and a director and a creator and an actor. But after that Spielberg movie went so well...the next thing I do is going to get a lot of attention from important people, not just teenage girls who watch a drama show. If I mess up...I'm done for."

"So is that why you're writing scripts for a show about teenage girls?" I ask him. "Because nobody will pay much attention to it except your usual audience: teenage girls?"

He lets out a sigh and shakes his head harshly, as if it will clear his mind. "Sonny, just take the space," he tells me.

"The me from three years ago would've jumped at this," I tell him as I look around.

"Sonny," he says, his voice becoming sterner, "I stared in a blockbuster. And I'm too scared to star in another. Nico and Grady are still starring as goofy guys on a Condor Studios comedy show. Tawni is designing outfits for a TV show, not a brand, which we both know is what she wants to be doing. That's life so when you get an opportunity to do something different, something that you've been wanting to do for forever, take it. Because not everyone will get those chances."

He starts to walk off after he tells me, "Think about it."

"Chad," I stop him. "I was there. At that premiere party in New York." He turns around to face him, looking more confused than I had ever seen him. "I was there, and I was so proud of you. But we hadn't spoken in a long time and I saw you with Olivia, and I thought you were together, which...clearly you are. And ya know what, I like her."

He opens his mouth and turns his head up to the ceiling, a shocked, somewhat of a smile on his face.

"But do you remember when I wrote myself a fan letter and right before you went out on stage and stopped me from embarrassing myself, you told me about actor's insecurity? And how you'll never go through it?" I ask him, walking towards him, stuffing my hands in my back pockets.

He lets out an ironic laugh. "Yeah."

"We all go through this type of stuff. You just hadn't until this point. And you've lived your entire life being the best, and you're afraid that you won't be the best. That you'll fail. So if you're struggling to do whatever you want do just know that you'll never fail unless you stop trying."

He nods slowly before turning around and exiting, leaving me alone in my new studio.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and please review! If you do, I'll give you a shoutout/response in my next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright so I didn't get any reviews on the last chapter so I'm not sure if people are still reading. If you are, it would be super helpful for a review. I don't want to seem like I'm begging, but just a few words would help out a lot!**

 **And a huge thank you/shout out to stydia kisses - I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it!  
**

 **And on with the story...**

* * *

It's a few days after my conversation with Chad, and Tawni and I have been working effortlessly to set up my new recording studio and office space. The studio is small, which is perfectly fine with me, being that I'm the only artist on my newest label, which I still haven't discovered a name for. I want it to be something important to me, and something to really sums up who I am. But for now, the label will simply be known as Girl Who Is Very Confused And A Little Talented records. Catchy, right?

I currently have a brown desk, along with the old couch from the prop house and a couple chairs. On the walls are record covers for some of my favorites albums. They will serve as inspiration, and they look nice against the brick wall backdrop. I've also already ordered a picture of me singing on So Random in a frame. I've also brought my guitar in here and a keyboard. It's simple for now, but hopefully, as this grows, more of my own albums, and albums of other artists that perhaps I even sign, will cover the walls.

Tawni and I are currently carrying in the last chair. Well, I'm carrying in the chair and Tawni is "supervising" behind me. I let out drop to the floor as I let out my pent up air that I have been holding. "Gosh," I say, heaving in and out as I wipe my hands on my jeans. "I don't remember these chairs being so heavy."

"Oh!" Tawni exclaims. "Probably because I put my puppy in the seat." I look down see a plush white dog sitting comfortably in the cushion. Ivanka is the little princess's name. Tawni picks her up and gives up a quick hug.

"Why couldn't you carry her?" I ask her, scrunching my eyebrows together in confusion.

"I had to supervise you carrying the chair, Sonny! Gosh, I can't do everything!" she exclaims, walking off with her dog in hand. I shake my head at her as she walks out. I head over to my desk. Nothing is on it yet, but I intend to put a few knick-knacks from Wisconsin and maybe a few So Random and SNL memorabilia. I suddenly think back to the little cow statue that is packed away in a box and I make sure to write down on my notepad as a reminder: Get Cow Statue. I hear footsteps, the click clack of expensive shoes to be exact, and expect Tawni to show up, yelling at me about how _she_ forgot something.

But instead, I see a pretty brunette, wearing blacks heels, skinny jeans, and a flowy top. Her hair is in messy waves, and her makeup is done. She is a great contrast to my messy bun and pun t-shirt.

"Hey, Sonny," Olivia says, carrying a strange plant in her hand. She looks around my office. I can feel her judging it as she does. I try my hardest not to glare at her. "Nice office space. It's really coming together."

I cross my arms and give her a small shrug, attempting to smile but not quite getting there. "Yeah, I guess so."

It goes silent, and I refuse to be the first to speak. Thankfully, Olivia does. "Look, I don't want things to be weird between us. I know that you and Chad used to date, and I'm fine with it. And I just hope that we can be friends. Chad's told me all about you, and you seem like a really great girl."

If her intent was to make me feel better, she failed miserably. I just give her another smile that doesn't reach my eyes.

"Well, anyways, I just wanted to give you this," she says, holding out the plant. I look at it, quizzically before slowly approaching her and grabbing it.

"Thanks," I say, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"It's a lucky bamboo plant," she tells me. I give her a nod before setting it on the edge of my desk. "It doesn't need much sunlight. Just water it a few times a day. And I thought it would be a nice decoration for your office."

I take a look at it. It looks out of place and unwanted. Kind of like me in this situation with her and Chad.

"Thanks. That's really nice of you," I say with what feels like a genuine smile. Though it's not.

"Well, I'll let you get back to setting up," she says, turning on her heels and click-clacking out.

The second she walks out, I push the bamboo plant off the desktop and into the trashcan beside my desk.

* * *

"That...little bi-" I begin before Tawni places her hand over my mouth. Perhaps she doesn't want to call attention to us, considering we are watching Nico and Grady tape their show and she knows that it must be quiet on set.

I bring my voice down to a mere whisper. "Does she honestly think I want a hideous bamboo plant in my recording studio?"

Tawni rolls her eyes at me and turns to me. "Sonny, maybe she was just being nice." I start to accuse her of taking Olivia's side, but she beats me to it. "Usually, I'd be dogging her with you, but I really don't want to create drama. Chad's dating her and hating her, in the end, is only going to make you more hurt."

I look at her incredulously. "Yeah, I gained some wisdom while you were gone. Working on a TV show with a moral at the end of each episode really teaches you something after a while."

"Tawni, the one time I want to be the mean one, you're suddenly nice," I groan, crossing my arms and slouching down in my seat.

"Sonny, you're not being yourself. You're letting this girl get to you. You're the nice and perky one. If this girl was anyone but Chad's girlfriend, you'd love that gift."

I know that she's right, but I don't want to admit it. I can't help it, and I don't want to be nice to her.

"You know what you should do?" Tawni asks me, an idea popping into her head. "You should ask her to come with you to Nico and Grady's premiere party!"

I scoff at the idea. "I wouldn't have anything to talk about with her. Plus, she'd probably want to go with Chad."

Tawni gives up, holding her hands in the air. "I think it's a good idea. But you do what you want."

When I need Tawni to be her typical snobby and hateful self, she turns all nice on me.

* * *

I knock on Chad's front door and wait for him to open it. I came to talk to him about the office space; I just feel strange about not renting it from him. The door opens, but instead of seeing Chad, Olivia stands there.

"Oh, hey, Sonny," she says with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Seeing her surprises me and it takes a few seconds for me to form a sentence. "Yeah, I'm here to see Chad, actually." I don't want to tell her too much. Even if it's just renting studio space, I'd like something to be between just me and Chad.

"Oh, well, he'll be back soon. You can wait for him, if you want," she says, opening the door enough for me to come inside. I hesitate before walking in. The apartment is decorated the exact same as it was when I left LA three years ago: nicely. I can tell that Olivia is used to being around nice things. Tawni told me that she comes from a very well to do family. Of course.

"How's your office coming?" she asks me as she shuts the door behind me.

I give her a simple shrug, "It's going."

I have so much that I want to say for her, and it's just on the tip of my tongue, but I can't force it out of me for some reason. Darn my niceness.

"It'll be really great. Especially once you clear out that old couch," she tells me. "I can tell why someone would leave that behind." She gives a laugh, but I just stare at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, that was something that I brought in," I tell her. How dare she disrespect So Random!

Her eyes go wide, and she stops her laughter. "Oh. Oh, well, it adds a lot of character." She tries to cover up her mistake but fails.

"Yeah, about my office..." I say. I know what she's thinking that I'm thinking and I cannot let her go on thinking that. I know why she gave me that bamboo. I have to get it off my chest.

"Look, I know why you gave me that bamboo," I tell her suddenly. I make sure to keep my tone light and a soft smile on my lips. I'm not mad, but I need to get it through her skull. "You were marking your territory, and that's ok. It is. I totally get it."

She begins to say something, "Sonny-", but I stop her.

"I just need you to know that...I'm not after Chad. You two are obviously very happy together, and I know that everyone thinks I came back for him, but I didn't, okay? I'm not going to steal him away from you so you don't need to feel threatened by anything because he is obviously...very much in love with you."

Her mouth stands agape. "Sonny," she begins. This time, I let her finish. "I got you that bamboo because when I got to Hollywood and I got my first job as a makeup artist, someone I knew gave me a bamboo plant for good luck. I was just trying to do the same and make friends with you, but it's obvious that you don't want that."

She walks over to the door and opens it for me. I'm being kicked out of Chad's apartment by his girlfriend. I never thought I would see the day. I slowly walk towards the door, feeling utterly guilty and embarrassed. I walk out the door, only to hear it shut behind me.

* * *

I walk into Tawni's house to find her standing in front of the couch, throwing flowers on the ground and screaming her head off.

"Tawn?" I ask her, slowly shutting the door behind me and looking at her in apprehension.

"No good, lying, manipulating-UGH!" she exclaims as she drops the rest of the flowers to the ground and kicks them all up.

"Tawn!" I exclaim. She finally looks up at me, enraged.

"Do you want to guess what these are?" she asks angrily, pointing to the mess on the floor.

"A nice gift from a not nice man?" I offer, setting my keys down on the nearby table and walking over to her.

"Yes! And do you want to take a guess who that not nice man is?" she asks, pulling out a card from her pocket and holding it up. "James Conroy!"

"James Conroy?" I repeat in confusion.

"James Conroy!" she exclaims. "He thinks he can just deliver flowers to my house and - look at the card!" She hands the card to me. "I can't believe he would say this!"

I take the card and read it. "Tawni, I've seen your designs and I'm impressed. I'm working on a new movie and I'd love to meet with you about you being the designer. It's about an heiress so I think it would be perfect for you. I would tell you to call if you're interested, but I know you are so I'll call you - James Conroy."

"The nerve of him! He sends me flowers and doesn't even hit on me?!" she exclaims in anger, snatching the card back from me.

I raise my eyebrows at her in confusion, "Wait, you like him?"

"Oh, gosh no!" she exclaims. "But I want him to like me so I can reject him! Duh! Girl, you really need to step up your game. Speaking of dating, how'd it go with Olivia?" she asks me, finally calming down once she takes a seat on her couch.

I meekly smile at her, "Well..." my voice goes high. "I might have accused her of marking her territory when she was just trying to be nice."

"Amazing," she says, looking at me in awe.

"What?" I ask in confusion.

"The fact that you can take something that is already horrible and make it a million times worse. Even though it seems impossible, you always find a way," she tells me, shaking her head at me in wonder.

"I know!" I exclaim, plopping down on the comfy couch beside her. "I always Sonny things up."

"So I take it you guys aren't going to Nico and Grady's premiere party on Saturday?" she asks.

"I never got the chance to ask. My big mouth got in the way."

Tawni suddenly perks up. "That's perfect! Now when you ask her, she'll think it's not just an extension from you, but also an apology! She'll see that you're really making an effort."

I stand up, a smile on my face. "Tawni, you're a genius!"

Maybe Olivia doesn't hate me. Maybe she'll understand.

* * *

Perhaps I spoke too soon because as I stand outside Chad's apartment, Olivia slams the door in my face. I hesitate before knocking again. This time, she not only keeps the door open, but she walks out, purse in hand, shutting the door behind her.

"That was a joke," she says with an awkward laugh. "Sorry."

I shake my head, deciding to dismiss. "No, I totally deserved that."

"Chad's getting dressed, but he'll be out soon," she informs me. I feel a pang in my chest, but I continue on.

"Actually, I came to apologize for yesterday," I say with a small, but growing, smile. "You were just trying to be nice and I got rude and weird and I'm really sorry."

She shrugs it off as if it were no big deal. "Don't worry about it." I expected to have to dive into a list of reasons as to why I'm perfectly happy with my life as it is and why I don't want Chad back so I'm a little caught off guard. It makes me a few seconds to regain my thoughts.

"Ok," I say with a smile. "Well, anyways, Nico and Grady's premiere party is tomorrow night, and I didn't know if, ya know, maybe you'd want to go together? We could go have dinner before...ya know, clean slate." I make a wiping gesture with my hands.

She smiles a genuine smile at me. "I'd love to, Sonny. But I'm actually about to hop on a plane to New York. There's this Broadway show I'm doing makeup for."

Of course she looks perfect when she's even going on a plane.

"But Chad is going so why don't you two go together?" she offers. "He hates going to those things alone." I fight to urge to tell her that I know.

I hesitate, swaying my head back and forth before shaking my head. "I couldn't do that. Honestly, I'd just feel way too guilty after how I behaved."

"I know," she says with a small grin. "I'm counting on it. Besides, you would have to be a pretty awful person to do what you did and then hit on my boyfriend while I'm out of town." I just nod at her, with a small forced smile. "Like you said, clean slate." She starts to walk off before looking back over her shoulder. "You two have fun."

* * *

I walk down the streets of Hollywood, with Chad barely trailing me. I can see the location of the party just a few paces ahead.

"You look amazing," Chad says after a while of awkward silence.

I cannot just say thank you and let it go. Instead, I turn around, stopping him in his tracks. "Okay, I'm sorry, but is this weird? Because it feels really weird."

He looks at me for a few seconds before saying, "Look, we had a relationship, alright?" He gives me a meek smile. "We can't pretend that we didn't. But while we dated, you were one of my really close friends. I don't see why we can't be that now, right?"

I give him a small nod before replying, "Right."

With that, we turn around and head into the building. Soft music is playing, and food and guests are everywhere. I see Tawni when I walk in and quickly run over to her, Chad following me.

"Hey, Tawn," I say to the blonde who has her back turned, talking with young, male guests. She turns around and I realize that it's not Tawni, but Tammy.

"Tammy!" I exclaim, giving her a hug.

"Sunday!" she says with the same level of excitement. I decide to let it slide.

"How was your flight?" I ask when I pull away from the hug.

"Long, but I did get to show the man sitting beside me my bikini pictures from Hawaii. He loved them, but then he went into the bathroom and I didn't see him again," she says with a shrug.

Chad stifles a laugh and I decide to hurry along the conversation. "Well, I'm sure you're glad to see Tawni! She's doing great." I decide to hype her up to prove to her mom that she doesn't need her. "Fashion is really treating her well. She's got great taste."

She looks up at Chad. I assume she recognizes him from his time with Tawni on the Goody Gang. "Yes, and her tastes have greatly improved since she was younger." With that, she walks off.

Chad just nods slowly, pursing his lips together.

"Don't take it personally," I assume him.

"She just-" he begins, pointing to her.

"Verbally punched you in the goodies?" I finish from him. He just nods. "Yeah, she gets her kicks insulting people, but she's sweet deep down. Way deep down."

"And to think that I thought Tawni was being dramatic when she talked about her," he says with a shake of the head.

"Nope," I assure him. "All true."

"Sonny," I hear my name to see Tawni (actually Tawni this time). She grabs my hand and pulls me over to a more secluded spot. "I got you a little something in honor of your music studio."

She hands me a box. I raise an eyebrow at her before placing it on the counter and opening it to find a beautiful lavender colored dress. "Tawni, it's beautiful. But you didn't have to do this for me," I say, admiring the dress. "You've already done so much."

"I just wanted you to have a Tawni Hart original for when your album premieres," she says with a smile. She glances over at Chad, who is talking with a few people I don't recognize. She then turns back to me. "So how are things with Chad?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, scrunching my eyebrows.

"I mean, are you working everything out? No more bad blood? No more...no more wishing for Channy?" she asks. I can tell it hurts her to say this words to me, but she knows I need them.

"Tawni," I tell her with a smile. "I appreciate that. But it's not about Chad."

"Well, good," she says with a grin. "Because that cute bartender has been eyeing you since you walked in the door."

I turn around to see an attractive, dark haired man looking at me before slyly turning away.

"Hm," I say with a smirk. I turn around and head over to the bar to order a drink.

* * *

I giggle as the bartender chuckles along with me. We both are leaned into each other when I hear a cough behind me.

"You ready to leave?" rings Chad's voice. I turn to look at him, a smile still on my face.

"Actually," I say, looking over at the bartender before returning to Chad. "I think I'm going to stay. I'll just go home with Tawni, but thanks for coming tonight."

I can see Chad size up the bartender before look at him. He goes in for what seems to be a hug, but he lets his hand rest just below my shoulders on both sides. He says, in a low voice, directly into my ear, "He's not good enough for you."

With that, he lets go of me, looks me in the eye for a few seconds, and walks out. I stare at him as he leaves, stunned for a quick moment, but then utterly pissed the next. As soon as he exits the building, I follow him outside, stopping once the door slams behind me.

"Don't do that!" I exclaim. He turns around, his hands in his pockets.

"Do what?" he asks, pretending to be in complete confusion. That smug little... _actor_.

"He's not good enough for you?!" I repeat in exasperation. "I don't want you saying things like that to me, Chad! That's not fair to me!" I give him a once over in disgust. "It's not fair to Olivia either!"

And with that, I turn around and walk back into the building.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews guys! Keep em coming and the chapters will definitely be updated more frequently! It's nice to have motivation.**

 **And on with the story...**

* * *

Last night proved to be difficult, as I thought it would be. It wasn't difficult altogether though, more like in small doses. Like when Chad told me that I looked "amazing" or when he pulled me in close when he was leaving, but nothing hurt more than hearing the words: He's not good enough for you. It's like he's intentionally trying to torment me. He's dating Olivia, and it's like not only she, but he as well, are dangling him in front of me, tempting me to bite, but then pulling away before I can. I'm sick of it.

I need something to take my mind off of those two. I decided to take a walk, and I don't know how, but I ended up at my old apartment building. I'm not sure why I subconsciously led myself there, probably my increased nostalgia from recent events no doubt. I wonder if it's changed any. I walk inside, not bothering to go over to the front desk. Instead, I get in the elevator and ascend to my old floor. It feels like I'm headed home from a day of work on So Random, and I'll walk in to see my mom needle-pointing or doing the polka. The minute I got the part on SNL, my mother couldn't have been more excited to leave California. It never really was her home, and she came here for me. When she was able to move back home to Wisconsin, I had never felt happier for her, but also sad for me. I really have missed her.

I arrive onto my floor and slowly walk down the halls, taking in every moment. I then see my apartment door. It looks like all the others, but it is so different and special to me. I start to turn when I see the door open and a teenage girl start to walk out, but when we make eye contact, she stops dead in her tracks.

"Oh my gosh. You're Sonny Monroe!" she exclaims, a wide smile on her face. She starts to fan herself a little, which makes me laugh.

"Yeah, that's me," I say modestly, trying to shrug off my celebrity. "This is your apartment?" I ask her, pointing to the door. I can barely see inside, but what I do see breaks my heart. It's completely redecorated. No traces of the Monroe family.

She nods feverishly before moving her head side to side. "Well, it's my dad's and mine. Do you live in this apartment building? I had no idea. You must be keeping it on the down low because if it were out there, believe me, I would know," she assures me.

I laugh again. She may come off a little obsessive, but she's so vibrant and well-intentioned that I can't be freaked out. "No, but I used to live in this exact apartment. I moved out when I had to move to New York for SNL."

She eyes go wide. "You lived here?" she asks, pointing behind her. I just nod, which causes her to jump up and down. "Oh my gosh! That's crazy! Sonny Monroe used to live in my apartment!"

I smile at her warmly. "I was just coming to see if it found a new owner, and that it's being treated well. And now I can sleep soundly," I assure her.

She looks at me for a few seconds, trying to read me. "You want to come in?" she asks with a grin.

"Oh, I'm not sure your dad would like that," I say, shaking my head, although I really want to.

"He's at work still. Come on, don't you want to see your old room and everything?" she asks me before it dawns on her. "Oh my gosh! I sleep in Sonny Monroe's old bedroom!"

She starts to jump up and down again before I silence her. "I'll come in if you stop talking about me like I'm not here, and if you don't freak out when you realize that we use the same shower."

Her eyes go wide again, but she just nods again. "Fine."

"Fine," I say back. Darn it.

"Good," she says, a smile on her face.

I eye her suspiciously. "Good."

"So we're good?" she asks me.

"How do you know about that?" I demand, pointing a finger at her.

"Chad Dylan Cooper: A Chad Dylan Cooper Story." She shakes her head at me like it was a foolish question before turning around and leading me into the apartment. It's decorated nicely, but much more modern than my mother and I preferred. It doesn't feel as home-y, but then again, it's not my home anymore.

"Oh, so you're a fan of Chad's, huh?" I ask her, shutting the door behind me and raising an eyebrow at her.

She shrugs, "I used to be, but he hasn't really done anything in a while. I didn't really pay attention to him until you started dating him."

Take that, Cooper! Someone who liked me before they liked you.

"You guys were perfect," she says with a smile. "My friends and I used to watch both your TV shows, all your interviews, when you were on celebrity first mates, and the teen choice awards. You guys were so cute on the red carpet! Ya know, expect for the fact that you rubbed it in his face about winning. Then it all kind of fell apart after that."

I guess that's what people assumed why we broke up. I decide not to go into it.

"But then you guys go back together and were cuter than ever. Until both your shows ended, then you had that long distance relationship going on, and that obviously didn't work out. Though I can't exactly put a date on the break up," she says.

I look at her wide-eyed. How does she know so much about us?

"How do you know all of this?" I ask her in shock.

"Hello, I was one of Channy's biggest shippers!" she exclaims. "I even made a scrapbook of you guys. I was obsessed. I sort of lived vicariously through you guys. I just wanted a relationship like that. I still can't figure out why you guys aren't married yet. Kind of has made me give up on love."

I'm not sure of what to say. "Trust me," I say with a somewhat bitter laugh. "Chad and I were not the perfect example of love. We fought a lot, and he used to make me so mad. I'd constantly break up with him, and then he'd win me back with a big gesture, and I'd forgive him. Pretty toxic, if you ask me."

She shrugs, obviously not agreeing with my assessment. "Yeah, but you always came back to each other. I just sort of expected you guys always have that fire for each other. That spark."

The spark. It makes me think back to our first kiss, and all the trouble leading up to it, starting with Tawni claiming that we had no spark. This girl seems to think we do, which reminds me...

"What is your name?" I ask her suddenly, realizing that I never learned it.

"Miranda," she says simply with a curt nod. "I'm gonna get a snack. You want something?"

She walks into the kitchen, leaving me behind. I quickly follow her to see that the kitchen is mostly the same. Just a different microwave and different knick knacks. Our microwave was pretty old.

"This looks pretty much the same since I left it," I tell her with a grin.

"Yeah, we're actually redoing the cabinets next week. My dad's pretty OCD, and he found some vandalism on the inside of the cabinet under the sink so he's replacing all of them."

My eyes go wide when she mentions the "vandalism".

"What does it say?" I ask her. She looks at me oddly so I further explain. "Under the sink. On the cabinet."

"Oh, I don't remember," she says with a shrug as she reaches into the fridge. "Just some letters."

"Do you mind if I look?" I ask her, slowly approaching the sink area.

"Was it there when you guys moved in too?" she asks me, pouring herself a drink of orange juice.

"No," I shake my head, reaching for the knob as I crouch down. I look inside and see it.

S+C = TLA.

I cannot help but let out a gasp.

"Wait, what?" she asks me, setting down her drink and crouching down beside me.

* * *

 _I feel him walk by me, running his hand across my back as he does. I transfer the cookies from the pan onto a plate. He steals one off the plate, taking a bite._

 _"Mm!" he exclaims, but not in a complimentary fashion._

 _"What, too hot?" I ask him, concerned and ready to get him a glass of milk._

 _He swallows it, forcefully. "A little salty," he tells me, sticking his tongue out and trying to scrape off the taste with his teeth._

 _"Salty?" I ask him, completely thrown off. "I put a dash of salt in there. That's what the recipe said."_

 _I look around for the recipe, hoping to find it in order to prove that I'm not lying._

 _"How much is a dash?" he asks me, picking up the salt and handing it to me. "Show me."_

 _I take it from him and grab his hand, pouring the salt onto it. He laughs at little at me, "That's more like a handful." I just look up at him, confused and wide eyed. "Ugh." I throw the salt over his shoulder and into the sink. I look down at the cookies and start to laugh a little myself. Perhaps a dash isn't a handful._

 _"Well, great. Well, maybe this batch will turn out better," I say, picking up the bowl of cookie dough. "Here, try some." I scoop up some of the dough onto my fingers and lazily smear them on his mouth and on his chin. He doesn't react. Instead, he remains calm, and I'm eagerly waiting for him to erupt on me.  
_

 _"Yeah, no. Still salty," he grabs the bowl from me. "Maybe I need a second opinion."_

 _"Oh, no you don't!" I exclaim, running away from him and shrieking as I do._

 _"Oh, you'd better run," I hear him from behind me._

 _..._

 _I now have the bowl back, after Chad dropped it when I threatened to put some in his hair. The kitchen is completely covered in raw cookie dough and any ingredient we could find._

 _I can tell that Chad is crouching behind the island so I decide to try and persuade him out._

 _"Oh man, I've got cookie dough all over me," I begin, picking a handful up, ready to throw it at him. "It's even in my bra. Maybe I should take it off!"_

 _I see him start to stand up and I laugh. "Sucker!" I shout, throwing the dough at him. He blocks it with the pan lid that he is using as a shield._

 _He holds his hands up in defeat as I grab another handful. "You surrender?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow._

 _He slowly nods, "I give up. I'm putting the lid down." He dramatically lays it down, like someone does with a gun in an action movie._

 _I laugh at him, and he comes towards me. "Now, if you are going to be taking anything off, please please please...let me help you," he says, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me in for a kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck. I feel him step back a little, but he pulls me with him. Unfortunately he trips and falls down on the ground, bringing me with him._

 _We both laugh loudly at him. I'm on top of him and he pulls me in closer, kissing me all over. After a while of making out, I pull away and look into his eyes._

 _"Ya know, I think you missed a spot," I say, pointing to my shoulder._

 _"Did I?" he asks, raising his eyebrows and moving his lips down to my shoulder, gently kissing and sucking on it._

 _"Ooh!" I say before giggling. He pulls away._

 _"You know, I take it back," he says, picking up a piece of the dough off the ground. "This is the best cookie I've ever had."_

 _"Aw, really?" I ask, acting as if I were given the biggest compliment in the world._

 _He shakes his head at him and looks me straight in the eyes. "Gosh, I love you."_

 _My heart beats so quickly that I'm afraid he can hear it. I've never heard him tell me those words until now. I give him a nervous look. "Truly," he finishes.  
_

 _I smile at him, pulling him in for a quick kiss, unable to stop myself. "I love you too. Truly."_

 _He grins widely at me, pulling me in for a kiss._

 _"Okay, we just passed a milestone," he says excitedly. "Sonny Monroe is in love with me. We gotta celebrate."_

 _"How do you want to celebrate? Put our names in a heart on an oak tree?" I joke._

 _"That's cheesy," he tells me with a grin._

 _"It's romantic!" I oppose. "Two people's names forever carved into wood - the most romantic of all natural resources."_

 _He lets out a laugh and I giggle as well. He turns serious though and nods at me, "But seriously, I'm never going to forget this moment for the rest of my life. Even when we're old and ugly - well, not ugly." I laugh, which causes him to grin. "This moment is forever cemented in time as my second favorite moment in history."  
_

 _I look at him oddly. "Second?" I raise an eyebrow._

 _"I'm saving first for the first time we have sex because - let's face it - that's going to be amazing," he says with a chuckle. I gasp at him, a blush covering my cheeks like red paint. I playfully shove him.  
_

 _"Chad!" I exclaim._

 _He grins at me. He loves pushing my buttons. I roll my eyes at him._

 _"Here," he says, standing up and reaching into a drawer. He comes out with a knife and takes a seat again. He opens up the cabinet behind us. "This will be our oak tree."  
_

 _He starts to carve something into it. When he's finally finished, he pulls away so I can look._

 _S + C = TLA._

 _"What's TLA?" I ask him, raising my eyebrows._

 _"True love always," he says, looking into my eyes. I smile at him and pull him in for another kiss._

 _Then Chad's favorite moment in_ history _ensured._

* * *

"Nothing," I say, shaking my head and closing the door. "It's just...I just remember that inscription is all." I stand up. "I'd really better get going, but thanks for letting me see the apartment. It was really sweet of you."

And with that, I let myself out the door.

* * *

 **Thanks for my reviews! It really is nice to have some motivation, and it certainly entices me to write the chapter sooner so if you like, keep reviewing! Let me know what you think of the story so far and what you think is going to happen! I love hearing predictions!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews, you guys! And sorry I haven't updated sooner, but we've been going through some family problems. My younger brother was diagnosed with cancer, but he is doing better now. If you are one to pray, please keep him in your prayers.**

 **And on with the story...**

* * *

After that trip down memory lane, it's time I join reality so I head over to my studio at Condor. I walk inside and set my things on the couch. I head into the sound booth and start to mess around with the keyboard, hoping to find some enchanting and melodic tune, but two hours later, success is still out of sight. I start to bang on the keys loudly when I hear someone's voice come in from the intercom.

"That's beautiful," rings the sarcastic voice of Condor Studios resident diva.

I look up to see Tawni pressing down on the intercom button, standing outside the sound booth. I roll my eyes and stand up, walking out the door and into the room with the sound mixer.

"Tawni," I whine, closing the door behind me. "I can't figure out one song for this stupid album. I was being ridiculous thinking I could do this by myself."

"Sonny, you write songs all the time. Why don't you use one you've already written?" she asks me, as if her suggestion was obvious.

It was, but I didn't want to publicize all the songs I had written about Chad. I wanted to write music about a fake relationship and fake happiness.

I let out a sigh, "Tawni, it's not that simple. If I sing those songs, they're all going to be mopey and doom and gloom."

"Hello?! Those songs are goldmines. Why do you think Adele is so popular? She capitalizes on her sadness! This is perfect for you, considering you're miserable," she points out with a grin on her face.

I shake my head and put my hands on my hips. I don't respond to her. Instead, I decide to bring up something else.

"Did you go meet James about the whole wardrobe gig for his movie?" I ask her.

Her face seems to go pale at the mention of him. "Yeah," she finally gets out with a nonchalant shrug.

"And?" I raise an eyebrow at her suspicious behavior.

"I got the job," she tells me as if it were not a big deal. "But then I'll have to spend a lot of time with him so it's not that great."

"It'll be a great opportunity," I assure her, putting a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly bats away.

"Look, I came in here to see if you want to go out for lunch," she tells me, finally getting to her point.

Going out would really help my writer's block, and it would be nice to be out of this studio and have a change of scenery. I start to nod when I hear someone walk in, a voice accompanying the footsteps.

"Hey, Tawni. Are you ready to go?" comes Olivia's voice.

"Olivia," I say with a fake smile. "You two are going out to eat?"

She nods with a smile. "Yeah, did Tawni ask you if you wanted to come too? We're going to Oscar's. That little Italian place."

I look over at Tawni with a scolding look. She has to know better than to ask me and Olivia out to lunch together.

"Actually, Olivia, could you just give us, like, one minute?" I ask, turning to her and gesturing with my hands.

"Oh, yeah, sure," she nods understandingly. She looks over to the sound booth and steps inside, taking a seat on a stool.

Once the door closes, I set a hand on my hip. "Tawni, why did you invite her?"

"We're going to have lunch," she says with a shrug.

"Okay, I don't want her here. This is my studio. I'm in my element. I don't need to be distracted," I tell her sternly.

"What? I thought you guys were finally getting along," she says, confused.

"That's not it, okay?" I say, although Tawni is right. We are getting along. But it's fake. "I don't want _anyone_ in the studio. Period."

"Anyone or Olivia?" she asks, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Anyone, including Olivia," I say, slightly offended. Tawni should not be sicking up for her. "Look, I know that everyone loves her. That's great. But right now, I'm working on my music, and she's in here ruining everything."

"Oh my gosh," she says, rolling her eyes. "Don't get mad at Olivia because you can't write a song."

"I'm not mad at her!" I protest.

"Well, you sound mad at her," she says, kinking up her eyebrow.

"I'm not. I-" I pause before shrugging. "Maybe I just don't like her."

I see Tawni's eyes drop own to the soundboard. My eyes follow hers to find that the intercom into the sound booth lit. I look up to see Olivia watching us.

"I'm gonna go, Tawni," she tells her, grabbing her things.

"Yeah, I'll see you," Tawni says.

Olivia heads out the door in a huff, obviously fed up with me.

Well, I'm fed up with her.

So ha.

* * *

I sit at my desk, filing through some old songs that I've written. A few of them are pretty good, and if I tweak them a little, they could be great. I hear the big, metal door open and Chad walks in, looking angry and defensive.

"Did you tell Olivia that you didn't like her?" he asks, walking over to my desk. I've never seen him so defensive of a person before, not even himself.

"Kind of," I say, looking up. I place a notebook over my stack of songs so that he couldn't inadvertently read them, not that he seemed to care if he did or not.

He looks down and shakes his head, resting his hands against my desk. "What the hell, Sonny?" His tone has turned less angry, but still defensive. "She's been nice to you."

I really don't want to deal with Olivia's stupid little problems, especially if I'm going to be talking to Chad about them.

"Okay, in case you haven't noticed, I have bigger problems to deal with right now. Do you see this office?" I ask him, motioning with my hands around the room. "This big, empty office of a label with no name, one artist, and no songs?"

"You mean the label that Olivia recommended I help you with?" he asks me, raising his eyebrow.

I feel a pang in my chest. Olivia is the one who wanted to do this? But I don't falter.

"Chad, I can't do this right now, okay?" I say, looking back down at my notebook and going through my songs.

"You have to apologize to her," he tells me.

I look back up, slamming my hands on the desk. "Chad, I live with Tawni. I have no other artists on this label besides myself. I can't figure out any music or lyrics. I quit my job and moved back to Hollywood. And I can't do this right now," I tell him sternly.

He pauses for a few seconds before saying something that completely throws me off guard. "Can I help you?"

I look at him like he has three heads. "No, no. You cannot help me. That is the last thing I want," I say, turning back to my songs and filing through them. "Just...go home to your girlfriend, Chad. Please."

He lingers a while before saying, "Okay." I hear him walk off and only when I hear the door shut behind him do I look up. I clasp my hands together and let out a sigh.

* * *

Aside from my trip to my old apartment, I have been in my studio all day, working on new songs and tweaking old ones. I think I've finally got some of the lyrics down. I sit on the couch, making marks on the old pieces of paper where they need some work and humming along to my new lyrics to make sure they sound alright.

I'm satisfied that they do.

I must have been caught up in my songs because I didn't hear someone enter the room, which is pretty hard to miss.

"I saw your light on," rings the voice of Chad. Why can't he leave me alone? I look up at him, not saying a word. "Which isn't surprising," he adds. "I know how hard you work."

I stare at him for a few seconds before looking back down at my songs. I have nothing to say.

"Ya know," he begins, taking a seat across from me. "You haven't been yourself lately, Sonny. At least not the Sonny I remember."

I let out a sigh, not look up at him still though. "Well, I haven't been that Sonny for three years."

"What's going on?" he asks, genuinely sounding curious and concerned.

I sigh, clicking my pen and laying it on the couch beside me. "Okay," I turn towards him. "I went by my old house this morning. There's a teenage girl living there now. And she showed me the cabinet under the kitchen sink. You know what that said?"

He looks me, and I'm unable to read him. Surely he remembers. I know he does.

"Sonny and Chad. True love always." He gulps. He does remember. "Always, Chad. That's what we were supposed to have, until you showed up in New York three years ago and ambushed me."

I can tell by his expression that he's starting to get defensive. He turns his head to the side, "If by ambushed, you mean proposed to..." he trails off, sounding slightly angry.

"Oh, yeah," I nod, rolling my eyes at him and laughing sarcastically. "A proposal driven by some insecurity that...I never understood and probably never will."

He raises an eyebrow and holds his hand out, as if he's pausing time to make sure he understood what I said. "Insecurity? Hm." I can tell he's starting to get real angry now. He lets out a bitter laugh before replying, "Let me tell you how you get always Sonny: when a guy asks you to marry him, you say yes. You do not say no and then call him insecure." His voice is now raised slightly more than before.

"I never said no!" I exclaim, putting my head in my hands. Why can't he understand that?! I pause, trying to calm myself down before continuing, looking back up at him. "I said that I loved you and that I did want to marry you someday. And gosh, Chad, I wanted you so bad." I shake my head and throw my hands in the air. "But you gave up on us."

That sets him off. He stands up and slams his hand against his chest. " _I_ gave up on us?!"

"Yes!" I exclaim obviously.

"By proposing, I gave up on us?" he asks forcefully. He always knows how to turn things around on someone.

"No, by not waiting you gave up on us. And you know that's the truth," I tell him, pointing at him chastisingly. I stand up and walk over to my desk, turning away from him to hopefully cool down.

He scoffs loudly. "Oh, well, that's great, Sonny! You wanna talk truth? Let's tell the truth!"

He turn around to him and nod, exasperated, "Okay."

" _You_ gave up on _me_!" I look at him, ready to respond to his ridiculous accusation, but he cuts me off. " _That's_ why you didn't say yes. You didn't think I could do it. You didn't think I could become anything more than Mackenzie. You thought my career was over, and you wanted out before it failed."

I nod along sarcastically, every word he said making me angrier. It was true that the movie he filmed in Puerto Rico was a flop, and Chad was very insecure about it, but the fact that he'd put that on me is unacceptable.

"Maybe you didn't even care."

I glare at him with my hand on my hip. "Well, if that's the truth, if I never cared, why is it that every time I see this stupid movie, I buy it?" I ask, picking up a copy of Chad's movie, The Hard Way, that I haven't put away yet. I pick up all of the copies of it that I've bought throughout the years. They were resting with a collection of albums and movies on a table. "Every stupid, damn time, Chad!"

I hold up one copy in my left hand and the others in my right. "You said that you loved me!" I exclaim, throwing the DVD at him. I pick up another one from the stack in my hand. "You said that I was all that mattered to you!" I throw another one at him. "You said that we were destined to be together! You said it on national TV! You said it to the world!" I throw another one. "You said it to me!" I throw my last one. "I wish you never had because you did not mean a word of it!"

I put my hand over my mouth, knowing that I have to calm down but I can't. Chad looks at me in shock and shakes his head, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm gonna go." He starts to walk off, but I stop him.

"Okay, you know what? I wanna pay rent," I say, my voice shaking a little. "I don't know how, but I'm gonna do it because whatever this is..." I say, gesturing between us. "I don't feel right about it."

He walks towards me and talks to me like I'm a child. "It's called me being nice to you."

"Well, it needs to stop," I tell him, running a hand through my hair.

"Maybe you're right," he agrees, throwing his hands in the air and walking off and out the door.

* * *

 **I know it got pretty intense but I figured that it was time they confronted each other about what happened. So thoughts? Leave them in the reviews and I'll try and update soon!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It's been a few days since my huge fight with Chad, and I have tried to steer clear of him. He seems to be more angry at me than I have ever seen, even when we were "enemies" before we started dating. However, tonight is a big night at The Patio, with many music performances throughout the night, and they're introducing a lot of new drinks at the bar. I can imagine that Mel will be pretty busy. The whole gang is going, and I'm sure Chad and Olivia will be there as well, since The Patio has become a common hangout for people who work at Condor Studios on Saturday nights.

Tawni and I are currently getting ready in her bathroom. I have decided to lightly curl my dark brown hair and do some smokey eye makeup with a pale lip. Tawni, on the other hand, is having somewhat of a breakdown.

"My hair looks like a rat's nest!" she exclaims.

I roll my eyes at her. "Tawni, your hair looks the same as it always does. Plus, if you're so worried about it, don't be. The place will be dark anyway so no one will even notice."

Tawni stops putting on her lipstick and stares at me as if I were a fool. "Sonny, that is not the mindset that you have when going out on a Saturday night. Guys will be there!"

I roll my eyes, setting down my mascara. "I could care less about that. I'm just going out to support Mel. I'd rather just go to the studio and work on music."

"Well, maybe tonight will give you some inspiration for music," Tawni says. "You can't get too much inspiration being couped up in a studio 24/7."

She does have a point. I take my phone out of my back pocket and look at the time. Music performances start at 8 and it's 7:45. I'm not sure what time Mel goes on, but I want to be there for when she does.

"We need to hurry," I tell Tawni urgently as she continues to mess around with her hair.

"Sonny, I can feel my hair expanding already!" she exclaims, applying some anti-frizz cream.

"Then why don't you just pull it back in a ponytail?" I suggest.

She turns to me and shouts, "A ponytail?!"

* * *

We finally arrive at The Patio at 8:30. I'm shocked we made it this early. I can hear the music from outside. We walk in, and I see Grady and Nico sitting at the bar, with no Mel in sight. I worry that she's gone on already. I hurry over to them to ask.

"No, she's out serving drinks. She goes on later in the night."

I let out a sigh of relief and order a drink.

"A Manhattan please," I tell that tall, dark haired bartender. He turns around, and I'm surprised to see the face of James Conroy. "James? What are you doing here?"

"Mel needed some help," he says with a shrug, placing his hands on the bar. "Plus, it's widely known that I make the best drinks in Hollywood. Can I interest you in a Conroy?"

"What's that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. I look over to Grady and Nico to see if they know what he's talking about, and they vigorously shake their heads, only to smile and nod when James focuses his attention on them.

"Just give it a shot," he says. I hesitate, but oblige him. He presents me with a blue drink, and I wearily take it in my hands. He smiles at me, eager for me to try it and I send him a forced smile. I look at the drink before taking a sip. It's absolutely horrible, but I try to muster as big of a smile as I can and give him a nod. He seems to buy it.

"Maybe you should try a Tawni Hart," Tawni says with a smirk. James looks over at her, licking his lips, and asks, "And what's that?"

"Simple," she says with a confident shrug. "Mix your spiciest drink with your most popular. A Tawni Hart."

James smirks at her, grabs two drinks, and mixes them together into two shot glasses. He picks one up himself, and she picks up the other. They both try it, downing it in one swift gulp. James wipes his mouth and sets the shot glass down on the bar.

"Better than I expected," he says, looking into Tawni's eyes. "Fitting."

Their eyes linger on each other a little too long, and Nico, Grady, and I exchange looks. I'll have to ask Tawni about this later. All I can do now is smirk at her. Tawni usually doesn't even try with guys. Instead, she shrugs them off, but she seems to be paying quite a bit of attention to James.

"Well, I'm going to go look for Mel," I say, breaking the silence, although Tawni and James are still looking straight into each others eyes.

"Alright, alright, alright," I hear over the speakers and I look up on the stage to see Mel speaking. "Everyone give it up for that last act. Wasn't she great?!"

Everyone cheers. She was pretty good, although a little bland for my taste. She didn't have a lot of emotion to her.

"I just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight and to show our appreciation, we're going to have a little karaoke contest and whoever the crowd likes best gets free drinks for the rest of the night!" The crowd cheers and Mel grins. The contest was Grady's brilliant idea. "So whoever wants to sing, come over here and sign up and the contest will start at nine."

"Hey, Sonny, why don't you sing? You'd totally win," Nico suggests.

"Nah," I say, shaking my head. "I'm just here to relax and observe. I am going to go see Mel though. I'll see you guys later."

I walk off, making my way through the sea of people and up towards the stage when I see Chad with a drink in his hand. I sigh and fish in my purse for a check before heading over to him.

"Here," I say, holding the check out to him.

He looks down at it, swallowing his drink and pulling it away from his lips. "What's that?"

"Rent. Sorry I didn't give it to you sooner," I reply in a dull tone, not wanting to have much of a conversation with him.

He shakes his head. "I'm not taking that."

"Fine," I say, putting it back in my purse. "I'll mail it."

And with that, I walk off and over to Mel. She spots me and walks over, meeting me in the middle.

"Hey! Thanks for coming!" she exclaims.

"I'm glad I could! You ready for that karaoke contest?" I ask with a grin, excited for it myself.

"Let's hope the winner is someone who isn't much of a drinker," she says with a laugh. "Are you going to do it?"

I shake my head, "Nah. I think I'm just going to be part of the audience this time."

"Alright, if you say so," she says with a shrug. "I'd better get back and see how James is doing. Oh, and if you go to the bar, whatever you do, don't try a Conroy."

"Too late," I say with a disgusted face. "It's a good thing he's good looking, otherwise that bar would be barren."

She laughs in agreement before walking off.

Just as she walks off, Olivia and Chad walk up, the former looking angry and the latter looking nervous.

"Hey, Sonny, remember when you said that you didn't like me?" she asks. Before I have time to respond, she says, "Well, I don't like you either." She looks up at Chad and says, in a satisfied tone, "There, I said something to her."

She stalks off and I've never wanted to punch someone as much as I do right now. I look at Chad, shaking my head. He looks at if he wants to say something, but he holds his tongue and follows her.

The karaoke contest starts soon, and I decide to take a seat on one of the couches. Suddenly, an idea hits me. Maybe I can find someone here at the karaoke contest to help with my label. An singer, a song-writer, a musician. Anybody. I'm excited to listen to the performances. I surely can find artist to sign or a songwriter to help bounce ideas off of.

* * *

Well, that was pointless. The singers were fine, but nothing spectacular. Why is it so hard to find someone for my label? This idea was horrible, and it's all Olivia and Chad's fault. I stand up and head over to the bar to find Tawni and James chatting once again.

"Well, maybe that movie of yours needs a little more inspiration from Tawni Hart," she says.

"Well, maybe the director needs a little more inspiration from Tawni Hart," he retorts.

What in the world is going on?!

I decide to interrupt. "Hey, Tawni, can I talk to you real quick?" I ask.

She turns to me and says, "Sure." She then turns back to James. "I was getting bored anyways."

He only smirks at her, as we walk off.

"What is that about?" I ask once we get to a more secluded place. "Are you and James..."

"Oh, gosh no!" she exclaims, although I'm not quite sure I believe her. "No, we are just working together on that movie. He treats everyone like that."

"Not me," I say in a sing-song voice with a knowing look on my face.

"Sonny, nothing is going on!" she says with a wide grin, giggling a little at my accusation.

"Oh my gosh. You like him!" I exclaim, pointing a finger at her.

She grabs my finger and shoves it down. "Oh, be quiet. Anyways, I saw you talking to Olivia earlier. How'd that go?"

"Well, she walked over to tell me that she didn't like me and then walked off," I say, running a hand through my hair. "I honestly don't know what she still has against me. I'm not even after Chad!"

"Mmhmm," she says, eyeing me.

"I'm not!" I exclaim.

"If you say so..." she says in sing-song voice.

"I'm not!" I repeat, getting angry with that false assumption that everyone holds. "And for the record," I say, pointing a finger at her, "you flirt exactly like your mom!"

She gasps, obviously offended, as I walk off, over to a table with Nico and Grady sitting at it.

I take a seat, starting to say something, but Grady shushs me and points up to the stage.

"Hey, guys. I'm Mel and tonight, I'm going to be singing an original song I wrote a few years ago. I hope you like it," rings Mel's voice over the speaker once again.

She starts to strum her guitar, and her voice fills the room. Her voice is so beautiful, powerful yet gentle. Her lyrics are just as gorgeous, and I watch everyone watch her, enthralled by her performance and suddenly it dawns on me. Why haven't I asked Mel to join my label? She's the perfect fit. She's talented, we're already friends, and she's at the studio a lot already because of Grady. It's perfect!

She finishes her song, and I'm so excited with my idea that I rush over to the stage to tell her, but before I reach the stage, I hear Olivia and Chad talking, seeming to be in some sort of an argument. Unable to help myself, I hide behind a corner and listen as closely as I can.

"Look at me!" she exclaims. I peer over and see that she's grabbing her hair. "Look at my hair!"

He puts his hand on her waist, "What are you talking about? Your hair looks great."

She runs a hand through her freshly cut hair. "Of course you think so. It's Sonny's length. I'm single white female."

"No, you're not," he says, shaking his head.

"I'm not blaming you. I'm blaming me. Ever since Sonny came back to Hollywood, I've been acting insane. I'm neurotic, insecure, jealous, paranoid. And that is not who I am."

"I know that."

"But it's who I've become. I'm not stupid or blind. I know that Sonny is the reason that you're writing that script, alright?"

What script?

"You can deny it all you want, but I know it's the truth. And I am not going to be a footnote in the Sonny and Chad love story."

She starts to walk off, but he grabs her by the arm. "Look, Olivia, you don't need to be so paranoid about this, alright?"

"Chad, you snuck out to see her a few nights ago!" she exclaims.

"That meant nothing," he says desperately.

"Oh really?" she asks. "Cause right now, it seems like it meant something. I'm the one who moved here for you, and I am not wasting my time here. So you need to figure out what you want."

He sighs, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "I want you."

She shakes her head. "And I want you to stop being in love with Sonny...but I guess we're both screwed."

And with that, she walks off.

I can't believe what I just heard. Is Olivia right? Is Chad still in love with me? Everything he has done and said has led me to believe that he's not and yet when I'm around him, I feel like he feels exactly what I feel as well. But then again, maybe I'm just fooling myself. If Chad really wasn't in love with Olivia, he wouldn't be with her. But then again...

Before I have time to think more on the confusing subject, I hear Mel's voice.

"Why are you hiding behind a wall?" she asks in a confused tone.

I quickly jerk my head over towards her and try and think of a reason. "Um, just making sure the wall is sound." I say, tapping on the wall. "Seems good to me."

She laughs at me and I'm happy that I got her off track. "Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have a private place we can talk?"

"Yeah, sure. Come into the back," she says. She leads me to a back room that looks like another lounge.

"We're not quite done with this place yet so it's not open to everybody, but it will be soon," she explains. I nod, surveying the room. There's a pool table and some couches and chairs. The room isn't very big, but it is a nice getaway from the bar and everything.

"Anyways, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asks.

"Well, what do you think about joining my label?" I ask, putting on a wide grin, hoping that will sell the idea even more. Naive, I know.

"What?" she asks, obviously taken aback by the idea.

"I know that it's kind of a surprise, but I saw you onstage and I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. You're such a great singer and songwriter and musician. And I really need help with my album, and I was thinking maybe you could help me out. And if you wanted, we could even record your own songs for your own album," I suggest.

"Are you serious?" she asks excitedly. "You want me to help you make an album? That has to be the coolest offer I've ever received. Heck yeah, I'm in!"

I'm unable to contain my grin. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I exclaim, hugging her tightly.

"No, thank you! This is such a great opportunity for me. I'm so excited. I've gotta go tell Grady!" she exclaims. "You wanna come?"

"Actually, I think I'll just hang out in here if it's okay with you," I say, wanting some alone time.

"Yeah, sure," she nods, a smile still on her face. She runs off and out the door. I take a seat on the couch and my mind attempts to drift back to Olivia and Chad's conversation. But I don't allow it. I'm sick of all of this, having to try and decipher everyone's feelings. I'm done with it. I just want peace and quiet. However, that doesn't come because I hear footsteps, I turn around to see Chad walking towards me.

"Ugh," I groan, turning back around, not wanting to look at him and deal with him. "Ya know what, I'll just rip up the check. I can move spaces anyway."

"Let me ask you something: do you have an alarm in your head that goes off when I'm happy with someone else?" he asks. His tone is angry, which I didn't expect. He must still be upset from his conversation with Olivia. "What do you want from me?!" he shouts in frustration. It makes me turn towards him quickly, shocked by his outburst. "I fly to New York. I ask you to marry me. You said no so I moved on." He shakes his head and lowers his voice. "Why can't you?"

I stand up. It's now or never. I have to be honest with him.

"Because I should have said yes," I tell him. "Chad...I was young, and I was scared. And I did not realize that by saying that I wasn't ready that we would never be together. Had I known that, I would have said yes."

He just shakes his head at me. This is obviously not the answer he wanted to hear, and it is certainly making his life more complicated, but I have to be honest. "Sonny," he begins, attempting to stop me.

"No, Chad, I miss you everyday," I continue desperately. "And I have told everyone here that I didn't come back for you, but I did. Of course, I did." I pause, trying to gauge a reaction, but his jaw is clenched and his facial features stern. "I still love you, Chad."

He shakes his head, and I can see the turmoil in his eyes. "Sonny, I-"

I cut him off, grabbing his by the face and pulling his in for a kiss. It lasts for a couple seconds before he pulls away, not daring to look in my eyes. He just shakes his head. He starts to say something, but the moment he looks into my eyes, both he and I know that he's a goner. He grabs me by the arms and pulls me in for another kiss, deeper and more passionate than the last one. It lasts a much longer time, and everything is right in the world. This is what I have been waiting for all these years.

I'm the one to pull away after quite some time, a soft smile on my lips. "You still don't me, don't you?" I ask in almost a whisper.

He lets out a sigh and gulps before saying, "I have to go see Olivia."

His response confuses me to no end, and I am left with a blank stare on my face. I don't respond because I have absolutely no idea what to say. He turns away and walks off.

It takes me a few minutes to regain my thoughts before I head out into the bar area. I see Tawni sitting at the bar and I take a seat beside her.

"I came back for Chad," I admit.

"Well, duh," she laughs. "You've had your I'm-in-love-with-Chad face on since I saw you at my house when you came back."

"What I'm-in-love-with-Chad face?" I ask with a slight laugh.

"The only face you've got," she tells me with a grin.

I smile before shaking my head, "Well, it doesn't even matter now because he's with Olivia."

"Girlfriend," she says, as if she's about to spill some cold, hard truth, "Olivia doesn't stand a chance. Trust me. Nobody wants to get in between a Sonny and Chad love story. It's not a good place to be because they're going to lose."

"Well, the place I'm at isn't so great either," I say.

"Are you kidding?" she asks. "You're Sonny Monroe. This is the guy who made a billboard about how much he loves you." I try to hide a smile, but I can't.

"Do you think he still does?" I look at her, scared for the answer.

She looks at me for a few seconds before deciding on an answer. "It has always been Sonny and Chad. You guys are meant to be together. It's the way it's supposed to be. So go and get your man," she says, which makes me laugh, "and this time, if he proposes, please say yes."

I give her a hug. This is why she's my best friend.

"Okay," I nod.

She gives me an encouraging grin and I walk off, ready to go get the man I'm in love with.

* * *

I arrive at Chad's apartment and knock on the door. I'm shaking, not because of the cold, but because I have never been so excited yet nervous about someone in my life. It's more nerve-wracking than our first date because I'm already head over heels in love right now. The door opens and in front of me is the tear stained face of Olivia, and suddenly it hits me.

He broke up with her. That's why he had to go see her. And suddenly, I feel terrible for being so mean to her. Sure, she's deserved it a few times, but I was really just taking out all my frustration on her when it was really frustration with myself.

"Olivia, I'm sorry," I say, unable to control myself. I feel guilty for stealing her man, though I don't regret it for a single second. "I didn't mean to-"

She holds her left hand up and smiles through her tears, "Chad asked me to marry him."

And all I can see is a familiar diamond ring on Olivia's finger.

* * *

 **1\. I made this chapter long to try and make up for being gone for so long so I hope you enjoyed this length! And**

 **2\. Please don't hate me!**

 **But really, I am DYING to know everyone's thoughts so pretty pretty please comment and let me know what you're thinking. Whatcha think about Mel joining Sonny's label? And what about Tawni and James? And of course, Chad's surprises proposal? Let me know in the comments and I'll try and update soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

More confused than he had ever been, Chad hurried home after his heated makeout session with Sonny. He knew in his heart that it felt right in the moment, but there was something else inside him that told him to run. Whether it be his past heartbreak that he still wasn't over or the guilt he felt over the adulterous kiss, he had to trust that instinct.

He arrived to his apartment, hoping that Olivia was already over being angry and upset with him. All he wanted to was take a shower, by himself, and try and think.

He was completely and utterly torn, and furthermore, he was angry with himself for being torn. On that one hand, he had a woman who wanted to be with, who has wanted to be with him, regardless of who he was or where his career had taken him. She stood by him, and she didn't give up on him. On the other hand, his history with Sonny could not be overlooked. Sure, they had been in love, but after Sonny rejected him, he just felt she couldn't be trusted with his heart.

 _Sure,_ he thought, _she wants me now. But who's to say that'll be the case in a few years - or months even? The only Chad that she has been with is the successful, popular Chad, not the one who hasn't starred in a movie in three years._

All of the lights were off, except for the bedroom light. He figured Olivia was in there so he walked in, only to find her sitting on the edge of the bed with a tear stained face. This was not the Olivia he expected to come home to.

"Olivia," he said softly, trying to look into her eyes, but her head was down, looking at her clasped hands.

"I'm going to go to New York, Chad. I'm not sure when I'll be back," she informed him, her voice straining to get the words out.

"Don't do this," he urged her in a low voice, shaking his head. The girl a few seconds ago who was so secure was slowly slipping from his grasp. "I know that you're upset. But..." He grabbed her by the face and looked her straight in the eyes. "you need to believe me when I tell you...you're the girl that I love."

He could tell that she wanted to smile and that she wanted to believe that, but she unclasped her hands and raised up a diamond ring in one of them. "Then how come you never gave me this?"

Chad's eyes turned towards the ring, Sonny's ring, looked at it for a few seconds, and his eyes showed guilt. But he swiftly contorted that guilt into an unreadable look and looked her in the eyes.

"I-" he began, but cut himself off and looked away from her. He moved his hands away from her, and she threw her hands on the bed in defeat. She then stood up and started walking around the room.

"I got home, and I thought doing some...menial chore would take my mind off my night so I thought it'd do some laundry," she informs him. Her tone sounds as if she caught him cheating. "Who hides a ring in a sock drawer, Chad?"

He let out a guilty sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't want to tell her the truth, but he could think of nothing else to say. He prepared himself for Olivia to end the relationship after he told her the truth about the ring.

"Olivia, that ring-" he began, his voice breaking.

But she didn't want to hear it.

"Don't," she said suddenly, walking out of the bedroom and into the living room, Chad following her close behind. Before she reached the door, she turned to him, "And for the record," she brought the ring close to her face and admired it, "it's as beautiful as I imagined it would be."

And suddenly, it dawned on him that Olivia thought of this as her ring. She had no idea that it was intended for Sonny, nor would she ever. Was there anything he could say to make her stay? To make his one sure-thing in life stay? He knew that Olivia could love him forever. And that is enough.

He quickly realized what that one thing was, the one thing he could say to keep a constant in his down spiraling life.

She quickly handed him the ring back, and just as she was turning to walk out the door, he said, "I didn't want to give you the ring until I was sure I had another movie left in me." She stopped, her hand on the doorknob. "I just don't want you to..." He thought back to Sonny on the night of his doomed proposal. "...end up regretting me because I can't...put myself out there and be in another movie."

She turned to him, looking at him, stunned by his words. "I would never regret you, Chad."

"You say that now!" he said, his voice louder than he expected it would be. He turned around to pace a little bit before turning back to her, saying, "But if what I'm not Chad, the movie star? What if I'm...Chad, the ex-Mackenzie Falls actor?"

As his biggest fear escaped his lips, his voice broke. He had always loved to act, but the fear of failing was so strong in him. Acting, something that had once been so easy and so natural, was becoming more challenging as he took on more challenging roles. He was unable to take the pressure, and he even began to feel like a fraud. Like he wasn't a truly great actor. It was just something that had come too easily to him in the beginning. That "classic case of actor's insecurity", the one he had promised himself he'd never get, had manifested itself inside him deep, and he did not know a cure. The only way for him to cope was to write scripts. It was like he was acting, but alone and with far less judgement and scrutiny. Sometimes, when he was alone, he would act out the scripts by himself. He told himself that it was ironic that he lost his passion for acting at the time he broke up with Sonny. It was purely a coincidence.

His lack of inspiration lasted for an excruciatingly long time, and the only scripts he wrote were the ones he was paid to, the ones where problems could be solved in 23 minutes. However, a few weeks ago, something in him snapped, and he began writing his own script vigorously. He even stayed up late into the night to write it. His inspiration came flooding back to him like a wave crashing on the shore.

"What if that's all I'm ever gonna be?" he asked her, sounding stern and convinced in his thinking.

Olivia walked up to him, sympathy in her eyes. "Then, I would be the ex-Mackenzie Falls actor's wife."

But that answer just made Chad turn away from her. He was embarrassed, ashamed even.

"Look at me, Chad," Olivia said, taking steps closer towards him. He slowly and reluctantly did so. "I don't love you for your movies or your acting. I love you for the heart and the mind that that acting springs from. And I don't care if you never write or recite another line of dialogue again." She took his head in her hands and told him. "You will always be more than an ex-Mackenzie Falls actor." That made him faintly smile, which in turn made Olivia faintly smile. "Because you will be the man that I'm in love with." She gave him a quick kiss and pulled away to find an even wider, but still faint, smile on his lips.

She started to turn away, but he grabbed her by the arm, stopping her. He knew that this was the moment. This was clarity. This was fate telling him what to do. Olivia gave him security. She wouldn't care if he wasn't an actor; she wouldn't be ashamed or disappointed. She could handle it, and more importantly, he could handle it. She had just eased him of his biggest insecurity, the insecurity that he felt most pressing when he was with Sonny.

"Olivia.." he began, getting down on one knee, "...Jamison Baker, will you marry me?"

Her mouth went agape, and she sniffled as he put the ring on her finger. She pulled her hand away to admire the ring on her finger and looked back down at the man she loved to see his smiling face. She rushed to give him a hug, unable to contain her smile. He stood up and they embraced. Her excitement was enough to make him excited as well.

And then there was a knock on the door.

"Chad asked me to marry him," said Olivia, holding up her hand.

And all Chad could do was look at a shocked and heartbroken Sonny, feeling prouder than he ever had.

* * *

 **What do we think? I decided to give you guys a little insight into Chad's life and his thoughts. What do we think about his insecurities and his sudden desire to write? Also, what do you think Chad is thinking? Is he in love with Olivia or Sonny? Why do you think he proposed? If you want some more chapters in the future that focus a little more on Chad like this, then let me know in the comments! I'm excited to read them! And if you have any questions that you want answered, be sure to ask in the comments and I'll answer them in the next chapter! Also, I'd really love to know your predictions!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews!  
**

 **And in response to purplewizard23 - Chad felt that he had accomplished something in that moment because of how much Sonny broke his heart three years ago.**

 **And on with the story...**

* * *

I lay on the couch in Tawni's living room, with my laptop resting on my lap and my head propped up on the edge of the couch. All the lights are out, and the only thing illuminating the dark room is the crackling fireplace. A warm (partly wet from my tears) quilt is covering me up. I feel so weak. I never wanted a guy to have this much power over my emotions, but here I am, googling the time Chad declared his love for me on national television.

I click on the video on YouTube and it starts to play. He's sitting opposite of a late night host, talking with him when my name is brought up.

"So are you still dating Sonny Monroe?" the host asks.

I can see Chad's eyes light up.

"Yeah," he says with a nod, a grin on his face. "It'll be two years in two months." The crowd applauds, which makes him laugh a little.

"So is there a future there? Possible marriage?"

Unlike when he was on _Gotcha with Gilroy Smith_ , Chad happily answers, "Well, we're still pretty young now, but I honestly couldn't imagine being with anyone else. I mean, I'm always going to be in love with her."

The crowd awes, and Chad chuckles, shaking his head and rubbing his palms on the arms of the leather chair.

"Well, I'd say Sonny is a very lucky lady, or you're a lucky guy. Either one," the host says.

"We'll go with the first one," Chad jokes, earning a laugh from the audience. "But, no, I'm very, very lucky. Call it luck, call it destiny, call it whatever you want...I'm just glad she puts up with me. She's the greatest thing to ever happen to me, and I'm just grateful that I get to be with her. I think everyone has that one great love of their life, and she's definitely mine."

I pressed the space bar, unable to take it. Tears streamed down my face as I watched him. Was he lying then or is he lying now? I scroll down to look at the comments on the videos.

 _Sonny and Chad are goals. I wish someone would love me half as much as he loves her._

 _Channy is DESTINED to be together._

 _You can see in his eyes how in love he is with her...why did they break up? :(_

 _Who thinks they should get back together? - 1268 thumbs up._

I hear the front door open to see Tawni walking in. She immediately notices that I'm crying, and she hurries over to me, only to find what I'm watching.

"Please don't tell me that you're sitting here torturing yourself with that interview," Tawni says, taking my laptop from me and closing it. She sets it on the coffee table and takes a seat on the couch, patting my leg.

"I think everyone has that one great love of their life, and she's definitely mine," I repeat, looking down at my lap where the laptop was.

Tawni lets out a sigh and gently says, "I've watched it, Sonny. I know what he says."

"That's funny," I say, my voice breaking. I finally look up at her. "Because it seems like Chad has forgotten." Tears start to stream down my face again as I cry, "Tawni, he asked Olivia to marry him."

Her mouth goes slightly agape and her eyes wide. "What?" she asks softly, sounding just as shocked as I was. "That's crazy."

"Maybe or maybe what's crazy is me for thinking that he could still have feelings for me after all these years," I cry, feeling foolish and ridiculous.

"We all know that...Chad isn't one to wear his heart on his sleep, especially when his pride is at stake or he runs the risk of getting hurt. He has a history of not being able to admit who he loves," she tells me, tucking my hair behind my ear and away from my face.

She does have a point, but I shake my head, not believing it. "It's different this time," I whisper.

Instead of trying to change my mind, Tawni just shakes her head and softly replies, "Okay."

"What am I supposed to do?" I whisper.

Tawni bites her lip and looks around the room. "I'll be right back," she says. She heads into my room and comes back with a copy of Chad's movie, one of the many that I have bought over the years.

"First, you're going to let go," she says, handing me the DVD and standing me up, walking me over to the fireplace. I take the DVD from her and hesitate before throwing it into the fire. "And now, we're going to sit," she says, walking me back over to the couch. "And you are going to cry on my shoulder for as long as you need to." She wraps her arms around me and I rest my head on her shoulder, crying as we watch the DVD be engulfed in flames.

* * *

The following Monday, I walk onto stage two, feeling numb and cried out. I cried all Sunday and now that sadness has been replaced by anger. I have to talk to Chad.

I walk past the sets, my jacket in hand, and head into the writer's room, to find him in there alone. He looks up from his laptop and stares at me for a few seconds before saying, "Hi."

I'm not interested in small talk, and I'm certainly not interested in him beating around the bush and acting like everything is fine.

"If you wanted to break my heart, there were about a thousand other ways you could have done it. You did not have to propose to Olivia to hurt me," I tell him in a dangerously low voice.

He licks his lips and says, "That proposal had nothing to do with you. It was just..." he picks up his coffee, brings it to his lips, and raises his eyebrows "...weird timing."

"Weird timing," I repeat, not believing him. I'm completely and utterly done with his mixed signals. I walk towards him, letting the door shut behind me. "Okay, Chad..."

I'm ready to tell him off, but I'm so angry and upset that I don't know what to say.

"I know that it must seem like-" he begins, standing up from his chair.

"No, don't marry her, Chad!" I exclaim. A few tears start to form as I walk towards him so we're only about a foot apart.

"Look, Sonny, you can't-"

"Am I crazy?" I ask him, desperately, some tears spilling over. "Do you not feel what I have felt every day we were apart for the last three years? Because I have felt..." I try to look him in the eyes, but his gaze won't meet mine. "That there is this piece of me that has been missing. And I tried to fill with work, and friends, and music. But I couldn't. But all that went away when you kissed me. And everything just snapped back into focus."

He doesn't say anything, but that doesn't stop me from continuing. "Chad, you can't marry her," I cry.

"Why not?" he asks, his tone low and almost dull, almost lacking emotion.

"Because there will never be anybody as good for you as I am, to believe in you as much as I do or love you as much," I tell him.

"I know that," he says quickly, instinctively.

"Well then why?!" I shout at him. He still isn't looking at me so I grab him by the face and force him to before bringing my hands down to his chest, but just as I let go, he looks down. "Chad, look me in the eye and tell me that that kiss didn't feel the same as it did three years ago," I tell him.

Slowly, he brings his eyes to meet mine and he pauses before saying, "I'm in love with her, Sonny."

That was not the response I was expecting. He looked me straight in the eye and didn't falter.

Suddenly the door opens, and I quickly wipe the tears away from under my eyes.

"What's going on here?" asks a girl I've seen a few times with Olivia. Tawni says they're pretty good friends, but I can't remember her name.

"Um, just congratulating Chad," I tell her. "Did you hear he's engaged?"

She just nods. "Yeah, I'm going to be her maid of honor." I can tell she thinks something fishy is going on.

"Speaking of Olivia, do you know where she is, Sabrina?" Chad asks.

Sabrina. That's her name.

"Yeah, she's in the cafeteria with Mel and Nico and Grady," she informs him.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go see her," he says, slipping out of the room, leaving me and Sabrina alone.

She looks at me and rolls her eyes, clenching her jaw.

"I'm sorry. Did I do something to upset you?" I ask her, slightly offended. I have never seen this girl before in my life, and she's acting like I'm her worst enemy.

"Yeah, actually, you did," she says, crossing her arms. "I was at The Patio on Saturday night. I saw you and Chad kissing. And now, I'm the maid of honor to a really sweet girl whose fiance is fooling around with his ex-girlfriend behind her back so yeah, you have done something to upset me. And that should upset you too. I know that you were in love at one point, and that's great, but Chad fell in love with someone else. And I don't know why you're trying to take that away from him."

And with that, she walked out.

* * *

The girl was a bitch to me, but despite that, she does have a point. I haven't been able to stop thinking about what she said. Maybe burying my feelings is the best thing to do, if it will bring Chad happiness.

"So what do you think about that?" Mel asks, looking up from the piano with a smile on her face.

"Huh?" I ask, snapping out of my thoughts. "Sorry, I wasn't listening. Can you play it again?"

She rolls her eyes before playing the chords on the piano and singing along.

"I've got a world of chances, chances you were burning through."

These were lyrics that I had written a week ago, but I could never figure out the music to put behind it. However, Mel picked the perfect chords, and I know I made the right decision asking her to join the label. She plays through the rest of the song, and it's absolutely gorgeous.

"Mel, that's perfect!" I exclaim. "Gosh, you're a genius!"

I cannot help but hug her. I've finally had a musical breakthrough. I cannot wait to record it.

"It's what I'm here for," she smiles, excited that I love it so much. "You wanna record it?"

* * *

The lyrics ring in my head as I walk back over to stage two. By this time, it's already eight o'clock at night, and I hope Chad is still here, though I don't exactly expect him to be.

The song really solidified everything, and I realized that I could handle it - us being over and Chad being with someone else. It will be hard, but it would be much harder living without him. I'm done putting up a fight for us, when Chad doesn't even want that battle to be won. I walk onto stage two and see the sets. One looks like a library and I'm reminded of Mackenzie Falls. Standing in that library set is Chad. It's dark and only a few lights are on.

"Think Condor will let us off early so we can catch a movie?" I ask him. He turns around to see me and looks at me quizzically.

"What are you doing?" he asks, sounding defeated as he shakes his head. His hands are in his pockets.

"Just pretending that we're still seventeen and that nothing's changed," I say with a small smile on my face, walking over towards him. "Would you believe that I met a girl who lives vicariously through us? Or at least the old us?"

"Sure, I do," he says as I come to a halt. "It was a great story to be apart of, but...it also took place a long time ago."

"I know," I say softly, looking down at the floor. "Look, I didn't come here to rehash the past." I look up at him and give him a small, reassuring smile. That takes him aback and he cocks his head to the side, urging me to go on. "I was reminded today in a...weird way...that the greatest act of love is sacrifice. That's what you do for people you care about."

I let out a heavy sigh and take his hand in both of mine. I smile at him, trying to make myself not cry. "I love you, Chad," I say with a sad smile, my voice almost breaking. I stare at his hands in mine, deeply breathe out, and continue, looking back up at him. "And I have since the moment you took me into your arms on that dance floor at my prom. And it is gonna suck," I say with a small laugh, "but if what you want is for me to let go, then I'm gonna do it. Be happy, Chad. That's all I want."

He opens his mouth to say something, but I don't want him to feel obligated to. And on top of that, I don't know if I can handle him saying anything. Instead, I bring his hand up to my lips and give it a quick kiss before dropping it and walking off.

* * *

 **I know that these chapters are sad so don't hate me! But again, what are your thoughts? I have SO much in store for this love story. Do you hate Chad? Do you agree with him? Are you mad at him? Are you mad at Sonny? What's your favorite part of the story so far? Also, how great of a friend is Tawni?! I always felt like in the show she was shown as very into herself, but I could always tell that she was far more caring than she let on. Anyways, let me know what you think and I'll be sure to update soon!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

"Are you excited?" I ask Mel with a grin on my face.

We're currently walking into Condor Studios, ready to watch Chad's directorial debut on the season finale of Nico and Grady's show. Chad was asked a few days ago to fill in for the director who was suddenly placed in the hospital, and to everyone's surprise, he agreed. I could have decided to stay home and not watch, since I have watched Nico and Grady preform on many occasions. But I don't just want to come for them. I want to come for Chad. I want to make an effort to support him without any romantic ties.

She nods, "Grady's really excited about this episode. He thinks it's the funniest one yet."

"Well, I'm sure it will be great," I nod in agreement.

"I can't believe Chad's directing it. He's really going out on a limb," Mel says.

I nod, "Yeah, everyone seems to be going out on a limb. Tawni told me last night that she wants to start up her fashion line again. Ya know, Threads? She's thinking of opening up a store in LA."

"That's awesome!" Mel exclaims. "Everyone seems to finally be doing what makes them happy. Chad's getting more into the entertainment business, Tawni into her fashion line, us into music. It's all really exciting."

We walk down the hallway and are about to pass the cafeteria when Mel starts to cough violently.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, placing a hand on her upper back, concerned.

"Is there are any water around here?" she asks in between loud coughs.

"Yeah, we'll get some in the cafeteria," I say, rushing into the cafeteria and reaching into the fridge for a water. Mel follows close behind, the doors shutting behind her. I quickly hand her the water and she downs a good portion of it, and shortly after, her coughs have ceased.

"You alright?" I ask her.

She nods, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah, I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"About what?" I ask her, scrunching my eyebrows together.

"I always get nervous before Grady does a show. I just want him to do well, ya know? I know how nervous he gets about things important to him and it makes me nervous," she says.

"You mean like on your wedding day when he said his vows in an Irish accent?" I laugh, remembering it just as clear as day.

Mel rolls her eyes but cannot help but smile herself. She pauses before asking, "Do you think Grady and I made the right decision? About getting married?"

"Of course!" I say, surprised she would ask such a question. "You guys are great together. I've never seen a man more in love with his wife. Why do you ask?"

She shrugs, "I don't know. I mean, I know I love him, but I sometimes feel like I didn't give myself enough time. Now that this music thing is kicking off for me, I kind of wonder how far I could've taken it if I didn't have a husband. I can't exactly go on tour, if that were to ever happen, with Grady stationed here in LA."

"Take it from me: a career is wonderful, but it means nothing if you're not with the one you love. Now, that's not to say you can't have both, but I would choose love over a career any day," I tell her. "You have something amazing with Grady. Don't ever regret it."

She sends me a warm smile and nods. "Thanks, Sonny."

"Alright, you ready to go get our seats?" I ask her.

"You bet," she nods.

We start to walk towards the door, when it opens and three people walk in: Tawni, Sabrina, and Olivia.

"Mel, we thought we saw you in-" Tawni begins before she notices me, which cuts her off.

"Oh," Sabrina says before putting on a cordial face. "Hey, Sonny."

I guess she doesn't want to give Olivia a reason to think she doesn't like me because then, Olivia would find out about the kiss.

"Hey," I tell her, though all I can do is look at Olivia.

"Sonny, we made plans for tonight before you-" Tawni begins, but Olivia decides to take over.

"Before you called me a bitch," she says matter-of-factly with a shrug.

"No," I say, annoyed with her attitude already, shaking my head. "No, I did not call you a bitch. I said I didn't like you."

"Sonny, um-" Tawni begins.

"No," Olivia interrupts. "You don't have to apologize to her. Just like I'm not apologizing because I'm engaged to Chad and she's not."

What little smile is on my face falls, and I shake my head at her. "Ya know, I really was going to try and be nice to you..." I put on a fake smile. "...but I think that's officially over."

"Works for me," she says before turning around and walking towards the door. She presses her hands against the door to open it, but instead, she just walks straight into it, the door not moving.

"There's no handle," she says, her voice sounding panic stricken. Mel and I exchange looks and cannot help but chuckle a little.

Tawni holds up a clipboard, "They're fixing them over the weekend," she says with a sigh, sounding defeated.

"So what does that mean?" Olivia asks, looking around the room.

"I think it means we're stuck," Sabrina says, sounding angry and annoyed.

Olivia returns her eyes to me for a few seconds before turning around and pounding on the door. "Help!" she shouts. Tawni rushes over to the door to join her. "Help! Help!"

* * *

It's been five minutes and Tawni has given up on shouting and pounding on the door, but Olivia is still hell bent on it. And it's really starting to annoy.

"Help!" she shouts, pounding on the door.

"Olivia, no one is going to hear you. They're all at the taping," Sabrina tells her.

I mentally thank Sabrina because that gets Olivia to stop pounding. Olivia turns around and starts walking towards the rest of us.

"No, we can not be locked in here. I am totally claustrophobic," she tells us.

Mel gets a puzzled look on her face as she glances around the room. "This is a pretty big cafeteria."

"It's the locked in part that gets me," she says nervously.

"Alright, does anybody have phone service?" I ask, pulling out my phone. "Because I've got nothing."

"I don't," Sabrina says, checking her phone.

Olivia looks at her phone but then shoves it back in her purse in a huff.

"No one ever gets cell phone reception in here," Tawni says, pulling her phone out of her purse before getting a huge grin on her face. "Except me because the world loves me! Alright, who do we call?"

"Everyone we know is at the taping," Mel says.

"Not everyone," I say in a sing-song voice, walking towards Tawni.

"No," she tells me, sticking her finger out. "There is someone else we can call besides James."

"Tawni, please, we're going to miss the taping," Sabrina says desperately.

"I cannot call him! I am going to look desperate, he has to provide a service, and he can hang it over my head. No, not going to happen."

"Tawni!" I exclaim.

She lets out a sigh.

"Just call the police," Olivia says. "911."

"911?" I ask her, crossing my arms. "There's someone out there getting murdered and we're going to bother the police? No, Tawni is going to call James."

Tawni groans, "Alright, fine!"

She starts to dial his number before letting out a small giggle.

"What?" I ask.

"My phone just died!" she exclaims with an exasperated smile on her face. "Perfect!"

"We're stuck," Sabrina says decidedly.

"Stuck is not good," Olivia says, running a hand through her hair.

"Alright, come sit down for a second," Sabrina tells her, leading her to the nearest table. Olivia takes a seat. "Now, close your eyes and think of your happy place. Got it?"

Olivia nods, "Yep."

"What is it?"

"I'm with my dad. We're walking through the Hamptons. It's fall. The leaves are changing," she says, her eyes still closed.

Of course, the Hamptons.

"You're not here. You're there," Sabrina tells her and Olivia lets out a sigh. "Better?"

Olivia opens her eyes and waits a few seconds before responding. "Yeah," she nods.

"Hey, Mel, are you okay?" I ask in a condescending voice, unable to help myself from mocking her. Tawni elbows me in the stomach.

So worth it.

* * *

"This is terrible," Olivia says, pacing back and forth. "It's the first time Chad's directing, and we're stuck in this stupid cafeteria."

"He'll understand," Sabrina assures her, rubbing her back.

"Hey, look at the comments on my video of me singing at The Patio," Mel says, holding up her phone.

"Wait, you have internet?" Sabrina asks her in shock.

"Yeah," she nods.

And in that moment, there is no doubt that she is Grady's wife.

We all storm towards her. "Okay, there's got to be a way to use this for us to get out," Olivia says.

"Or order a pizza. I'm starving," Mel says under her breath.

"That's it," I say, an idea suddenly popping into mind.

"Do we really need to be thinking about food right now?" Tawni asks us.

"No, we order a pizza online, have it delivered here, and we can get out," I tell her, grabbing Mel's phone from her.

I quickly type in the nearest pizza parlor and click on its website.

"Alright, Giovanni's Pizzeria. They're open...you can order online and...they deliver," I say, checking off each must as I search through the website.

"Nice!" Tawni exclaims. Olivia lets out a sigh and crosses her arms. "So what are we getting?"

I look at her and shrug. "I don't know. Pineapple and ham."

"Ooh," Tawni says, shaking her head. "No pineapple please."

"Tawni-" I begin to scold her, but Mel cuts me off.

"Actually, I totally agree with her. Italian sausage?" she suggests. Tawni nods in agreement.

"Italian sausage, extra cheese!" she exclaims.

"You guys," Sabrina scolds.

"Just order the damn pizza!" Olivia exclaims, throwing her hands in the air.

"Okay, do not yell at me," I tell her in a stern voice.

"I'll yell at you if I want to yell at you! Freaking pineapple, freaking ham, freaking sausage- I want to get the hell out of here!" She points towards the door.

"We all want to get the hell out of here, alright? Don't yell at me!" I tell her, pointing my index finger at her.

"Guys, calm down," Sabrina says. Olivia rolls her eyes at me, and it goes silent for a few moments.

"Just no pineapple," Tawni says. Mel tries to stifle a laugh as I order the pizza.

"There. It's ordered. Are we all happy now?" I ask, looking at Tawni for approval.

"What'd we get?" Tawni asks.

"No pineapple, Tawni. No pine. No apple. No pineapple!" I exclaim.

Tawni holds her hands up and I let out an aggravated sigh.

"You're a really great fashion designer, Tawni," Mel says.

Tawni eyes her suspiciously. "Thanks." She lets out a laugh. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know. I just think we tear each other down enough, ya know? And sometimes you should just tell people the things you love about them. Like, something they're really great at or...a quality they admire and...I don't know. You're a great designer."

"Determined," Sabrina says. "Tawni sees something she wants and she's goes and gets it."

"And she's strong," Olivia adds.

"And caring," I say.

"See, don't you feel pretty awesome now?" Mel asks Tawni, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Tawni admits with a grin on my face, rocking her head side to side.

"Okay, me. Do me," Mel says.

"Your musical talent," I tell her.

"The fact that you came up with this game," Olivia says.

"Your butt," Sabrina says jealously. Mel's mouth drops open and she cannot help but laugh.

"And your lips," Tawni says. "I would kill for good lips like that. And you've got nice legs. It's like a whole-"

Mel shakes her head in laughter. "Okay, let's move on." She turns her focus to:

"Olivia, your eyes are, like, not even fair," Mel says. It's true. Her eyes are basically a violet color.

Olivia looks down and smiles softly.

"You're also one of the smartest people I know," Sabrina tells her.

"I am not," she laughs, shaking her head.

"And you're classy," Tawni tells her.

Mel just shakes her head and I look down.

"Sonny," Tawni says, "isn't there something nice you'd like to say about Olivia?"

I look back up and stare at Olivia for a while before finally settling on, "She's got decent taste in men."

The room falls silent before I add, "This game sucks." I start to walk off when I hear Olivia's voice.

"I'm intimidated by Sonny," she admits. I stop in my tracks. "When I was Chad's makeup artist, I spent basically a year trying to help him get over her. You know, guys always talk about how wonderful their girlfriends are while they're dating them, but when it's over, that's when the truth comes out. He still talked about how wonderful she was. It was like he was still holding onto her." She pauses for a while but I don't dare to turn around. "And sometimes, I think he still is."

That is enough to make me turn my head over my shoulder. "Which is why he proposed to you, right?" I ask before turning back around and taking a seat at a table, putting my head in my hands.

* * *

"Hey, look at these comments on my video!" Mel exclaims.

Is she still looking at them?

"This girl has no talent. Why is she even allowed on stage?" she reads off her phone.

"Mel, don't read that garbage," I tell her.

"Why would they say that?" she whines.

"Because it's easy. Look, it's criticism verses creation. Do you love making music?" I ask her.

"Yeah," she nods.

"Well, then the rest doesn't matter," I say.

"Easy for you to say. They didn't say that you look like you smell like feet!" she exclaims, shoving her phone in my face. I shake my head and laugh at her.

"Sticks and stones, Mel," Olivia says.

"Oh, and this is coming from the girl that couldn't handle it when I said I didn't like her," I say with a bitter laugh.

"Okay," Olivia says, turning to me, sipping on some liquor we found in the fridge. "Let's just check the scorecard on this, Miss Pity Me. You dated the guy three years ago. You disappeared. Then you come back and expect him to drop everything for the love of your job-less ass. WTF?"

"Okay," Sabrina says, taking the bottle from her. "DUI."

"Good thinking, Sabrina," I say. "You better save Miss AA here before I kick her spoiled self all the way back to the Hamptons."

"Oh, yeah?" she asks, walking towards me.

"Yeah," I nod.

"Well, I guess this won't be the first time you cry your eyes out at Condor Studios," she says, obviously referring to my first breakup with Chad.

We both start to come at each other, but Tawni holds me back and Sabrina holds Olivia back.

"You think that's funny, huh?" I shout at her.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Tawni and Sabrina shout, trying to control us.

* * *

We eventually are controlled and we're all sitting around one of the tables, eating whatever has been leftover in the cafeteria. Mostly decreamed corn.

Mel pulls out her phone and goes to her recordings. "You guys like this melody?" she asks.

She presses play and a short guitar riff plays.

"Yeah," we all nod.

"Sounds great, Mel," I tell her with a smile.

"I just can't figure out the lyrics," Mel says with a sigh.

"Why don't you play it again and we can try and help you?" Sabrina suggests.

"I think we should work on that in the studio," I tell her. "Alone."

"Oh my gosh. What am I going to do? Steal Mel's song?" she asks me.

"I don't know. Songs, friends," I list, but I'm not able to say the final thing on my list.

"What about you? You stole Mandy James's place on So Random. Pot meet kettle," she says.

"Fist meet face," I reply.

Mel presses play again on her phone and sings, "Pot meet kettle. Fist meet face. Nope, doesn't go together."

Everyone except me starts to laugh.

"Don't laugh at her," I tell Olivia.

She raises her eyebrows at me and clenches her jaw. She turns to Mel and says, "You're right, Sonny. Creation vs. criticism. Let me try one, Mel."

Mel presses play again and Olivia sings, "My name's Sonny, vampire pale Sonny, and I don't have a boyfriend cause I'm a bitch."

I stare at her for a few seconds before saying, "Play it again, Mel."

I can tell that she hesitates before she presses play. "Her name's Olivia, man faced Olivia, and her fiance proposed to me first...with the very same ring," I sing with a grin on my face, finishing with jazz hands.

I can tell Olivia did not expect that and she just looks at me for a while before declaring, "You're lying."

"Oh, you didn't know?" I ask her, cocking my head to the side.

"Sonny-" Tawni says, in a warning tone.

"No, is...is she gonna cry?" I ask, pointing to Olivia, who looks like she is about to do so.

"Stop it," Olivia says sternly.

"Go ahead and cry little rich girl," I say in a very condescending voice, like I'm talking to a child.

"I said stop it," she says, sounding even more stern.

"Is daddy going to throw you a huge wedding in the Hamptons for his little spoiled brat of a daughter?" I ask her.

"Sonny, you don't know what you're talking about," Sabrina says sternly, putting her hand on the table and leaning across it towards me.

"Oh, no! Daddy's going to make everything better for the little rich girl who got everything she ever wanted!" I shout, no longer sounding like I'm talking to a child.

"He's dead!" Olivia exclaims and I suddenly go blank. "Alright, Sonny? He's dead! He died two years ago from cancer. But not until he couldn't walk or talk or even recognize me. Is that what you want to hear? Does that make you happy? That his death is with me every day. That I was the one who had to turn the ventilator off because my mother was too destroyed to do it!" Her voice starts to break and I feel like the worst person in the world. "Do you want to hear the sound that he made before he took his last breath? Cause I can still hear it!" She starts to cry. "Does that make you happy? Are you glad that my life isn't perfect?"

"Olivia, I-" I begin, feeling so low and disgusting.

"I used to admire you, Sonny. The way that Chad talked about you...you seemed so noble. What happened to that Sonny? Cause I wish that version of you was here." She turns away, still crying and heads to a seat farthest away from everybody.

* * *

It's been silent for almost ten minutes and I'm just about to the point where I can't take it anymore. I want to talk to Olivia, but I know that nothing I could say could make up for how awful I've been to her. She fell in love, and I've been punishing her for it. I told Chad I would let go, but I also need to let go of Olivia. I need to let her be happy as well. She deserves it, after what's happened to her.

I see the door open and the pizza guy holds the italian sausage pizza box in his hand. We all hurry out of our seats and rush to the door, stopping it before it closes again.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tawni exclaims, handing the guy a twenty and running out of the cafeteria.

"We're free!" Mel exclaims. The guy looks at us as if we're crazy and hands me the pizza before taking off.

"Ugh, this is amazing!" Sabrina cheers.

Mel goes to give everybody a hug. The taping is obviously over, and we're about to part ways. Olivia and I just exchange looks, and finally the look is a smile. A small one. But still a smile. Mel, Olivia, and Sabrina all start talking and Tawni walks over to me.

"If it's okay, I thought since I came with them..." she trails off.

"Yeah, yeah. Go," I tell her with a small smile. "I want you to. You want to know why?" I ask her. "Cause you're my best friend and you always will be."

"Yes, I will," she says with a smile before hugging me. She walks off with Olivia and Sabrina while Mel and I walk the other way.

I know I can let go. Of Chad, of Chad and Olivia, but most of all, I can let go of Chad and I.

I will be okay, I tell myself. I will be okay.

* * *

 **Alright, suuuuper long chapter, but I had to put a lot in here and I didn't feel right about putting it in two different chapters. So what do you think? Any new opinions on Olivia? Think Sonny will finally let go? Pretty pretty PLEASE tell me your thoughts and opinions on everything in the reviews!**

 **PS: The next chapter is a big one. Pay close attention if you want to see who Chad _really_ loves xD  
**


	12. Chapter 12

It's early afternoon on a beautiful day, and I'm currently walking back to Tawni's house from getting some lunch at a nearby sandwich shop. It's nice to walk, especially since I cut through a beautiful park on the way back. There are many runners, dog walkers, and bikers that I pass on my way. On the basketball court, I spy a familiar blonde actor, dribbling and shooting in a red t-shirt and black shorts. I walk up to him with my hands in my pockets.

"Alright, let me have it," I tell him. He turns around as the ball falls through the hoop.

"What?" he asks me, scrunching his eyebrows together in that incredibly cute way he does. He grabs the ball and holds it in his hands.

"Did Olivia not tell you about the cafeteria?" I ask him, motioning for him to throw me the ball.

"She told me that you guys got locked in, which seems a little farfetched," he says with a slight smirk. "I mean, if you guys didn't want to watch me direct, you could have just said so." He bounces the ball to me, and I start to spin it around between my hands, laughing a little at his statement.

I look down at the ball in my hands before looking up at him, squinting to keep the sun out of my eyes. "Come on, she didn't tell you how mean I was to her or anything?" I ask, throwing the ball to him. He catches it before it hits his chest.

He tucks the ball under his arm and asks, "You were mean to her?"

I stare at him for a few seconds, only to reply, "She's really great, Chad."

"I know," he says, walking towards me and handing me the ball. "But it's great to hear _you_ say it."

I take the ball from him and shoot, missing the basket just barely and laughing at myself. He grabs the ball and shoots it himself, missing it as well. He turns towards me and remarks with a smirk, "It's a good thing we're in show business."

* * *

I walk into Tawni's house and see her standing in the kitchen, tapping her nails against the island and looking nervous.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask her, walking over towards her.

She looks up at me nervously and tells me, "I rented out a space on Rodeo Drive to open a store at."

My mouth drops open as I drop my purse on the island. "Are you serious?! Tawni, that's amazing!"

I know that Tawni had talked about opening a store, but I didn't know if she'd have the guts to do it. She's always been one to go after what she wants, unless its something she _really_ wants. Then she becomes too afraid of rejection or failure. Kind of like when she was too afraid to ask out Hayden but was gung ho on her Fashionista audition.

"I mean, if you can chase your music dream, why can't I chase my love for design?" Tawni says and I nod a determined nod of agreement.

"Tawni, it's beautiful. I love it-" I hear an all too familiar voice say. I turn around to see Olivia walking out of the guest bedroom, my room, wearing a gorgeous white wedding gown.

Tawni had told me that Olivia asked her to design the dress and that the opportunity was too hard to pass up. I, of course, agreed with her, but seeing all of this come to pass and seeing everything play out is more than I imagined it to be. It's like I had never imagined that these events would actually happen, but seeing her in this wedding dress is proof that they are.

Olivia looks up at me and looks as if she is stepping in my territory so I reassure her with a small smile, "You make a beautiful bride."

"Thank you, Sonny," she smiles before turning to Tawni and squealing. "Tawni, you did such a good job."

"Yes, I did," she nods, walking over to Olivia. "You look absolutely gorgeous."

Olivia just smiles and looks down at her dress, admiring all the intricate details. She looks back up, as if she's suddenly reminded of something. "Oh!" she exclaims. "Chad and I decided that we're going to have a joint bachelor/bachelorette party. It's gonna be at Condor Studios. They've set it up all nice with arcade games and everything. It should be alot of fun."

"We'll definitely be there," Tawni tells her with a nod, but only after looking at me for permission.

* * *

"What time are they getting here?" I ask Tawni as I pull on my dress.

"I told James six thirty," Tawni replies, applying some blush to the apples of her cheeks.

Tawni insisted that we didn't attend Chad and Olivia's bachelor/bachelorette party alone so she coyly asked James to accompany her, and if he would be kind enough to bring a friend for me. I'm not sure who the guy is, but hopefully he'll be nice to talk to. I'm not sure how this is going to go, but maybe the games will be fun. Plus, it'll be fun to catch up with everyone in attendance.

I grab my phone that's sitting on the bedside table.

"It's six thirty right now," I say, smoothing out my dress in the mirror and giving my hair a final joush. I place my phone in my purse and turn around to see Tawni finishing up her makeup with some Coco Moco Coco.

"You know James. He's never-" The door bell rings. "Punctual," she finishes. Her eyes go wide and I can visibly see the nerves on her face.

"Come on," I say, grabbing her hand, pulling her out of her hair, and into the living room. I push her towards the door, which she hesitates to open but does.

"Hey," she smiles when she sees James, in his classic black leather jacket, giving him a hug.

And she says she doesn't like him.

He hugs her back, but only with one arm before my date steps into view.

Hayden.

"Sonny, this is my friend, Hayden. He worked on the set of my last movie," he 'introduces'.

I smile, "Hey, Hayden." I go in to give him a hug, which he gladly returns.

Tawni's eyes go wide through all of this, and I have to struggle in order to suppress a laugh. James looks at us, confused by how comfortable we are around each other already. He obviously didn't see the Tween Weekly magazine cover.

"Well, alright!" Tawni exclaims, startling everybody. "Can you guys go out and start the car? We'll be out soon, but Sonny needs my help getting a tag out of her dress."

James and Hayden exchange looks, shrug, and then walk outside.

"Sonny!" she exclaims after the door shuts behind us. "I did not know that he'd bring Hayden! I didn't even know he knew Hayden! What if Hayden brings us up?!"

Tawni's relationship with Hayden extended beyond her little crush and the kiss cam incident. They were never serious or anything, but in our last year of So Random, Tawni and Hayden constantly fooled around behind the scenes. The relationship was strictly physical, but it clearly is still worrying Tawni.

She so likes James.

I bite my lip to keep myself from laughing, but my body is slightly shaking from the pent up laughter.

"You think this is funny, don't you?" Tawni asks me, putting her hands on her hips and kinking up her eyebrow.

"A little," I say, letting out a giggle. "But seriously, if it gets awkward, just say the word."

* * *

"Awkward," Tawni says as she sits in the front seat of James' car.

"What?" James asks, glancing towards her.

She just sends him an awkward smile and in a high pitched voice replies, "Nothing!"

* * *

We walk into the very room where the studio prom was held, but instead of a night in the clouds, the room is decorated with lots of tables, arcade games, karaoke, and a huge screen where music videos are playing. I've got to admit: even despite the circumstances, this bachelor(ette) party is pretty awesome.

Through the sea of people, we spot Nico and Grady walking over to us. "Hey, Sonny, Tawni, James, Hayden," Nico greets, sounding questioning at the last name.

"Hayden's friends with James," I tell him quietly. He just nods.

"Hey, guys!" Olivia says, walking up the four of us. We all greet her, James and Hayden introduce themselves, and we compliment her on the party.

"Oh, thanks. Honestly, it was the staff that set it up. They're great," she says, admiring the place herself.

"Well, this place has been known to house some pretty awesome parties!" Nico says. "I mean, The Basement, The Secret Prom."

"You guys had a secret prom?" Olivia asks with a laugh.

"Chad never told you about it?" Tawni asks, sounding surprised.

To everyone else, the prom was just another funny story to tell, but to me, it's a special, monumental moment in my life. It's the moment I fell in love. No one else knows about the dance between Chad and I, but I'm positive that dance is why Chad hasn't told Olivia about the prom. Because it's private. It's special.

"No," she says with an intrigued smile, shaking her head.

"Oh, it was awesome. The music, decorations, everything. Sonny set it all up, but she didn't exactly get to enjoy it because we got busted," Grady informs her.

"Aw," Olivia says with a small laugh. "That stinks."

I just give her a shrug and a weak smile. Oh but I did enjoy it.

"And I was Prom Queen!" Tawni throws in, to which we all roll our eyes.

"I would have loved to see that Prom," Olivia says with a laugh. "I loved my Prom."

"Hey, maybe you can," Nico says before slapping Grady on the chest. "G, remember how Condor keeps video footage for like five years before it's deleted?"

Grady's eyes lit up. "We've got to find it!"

And with that, they run off. They may be older, but they're still the same crazy kids.

"Hey, Sonny, want a rematch at Dance Dance Dance attack?" James asks me, nudging me in the side. I grin at him, remembering our disastrous date.

"You're on!"

* * *

I won, again. And James looked as ridiculous as he did the first time we played the game.

"So, are you and James close?" I ask Hayden as we walk around the room. Tawni and James are currently just outside the room, going over designs.

He shrugs, "Not super close, but yeah, we're buds. I honestly just accepted the invite because I knew Tawni would be here. I didn't know she and James were serious or anything."

"They're not," I tell him before adding. "Well, officially anyways."

"Good. I was hoping to try it again with her," he says with wiggling eyebrows.

I laugh loudly, "Well, good luck with that. She's pretty into James."

It falls silent between us for a few minutes, with the music overhead and the cacophony of other voices filling our ears instead of the voices of each other.

"So this is kinda weird, huh?" he asks, motioning between us. "Being set up on a date. But then again, I always thought you were cute back when I worked here."

"Oh, shut up," I say, shaking my head and rolling my eyes.

"I did!" he exclaims. "But Tawni was really into me. Plus, I knew Chad would beat me up if I tried anything with you. Well, hire someone to beat me up."

I laugh at his statement, unable to disagree.

"You still love him?" he asks me.

I bite my lip and shrug. "He's with Olivia now," I smile softly, shaking my head.

He just nods before leaning and in and kissing me suddenly. My eyes widen at his shocking gesture, and I'm unable to move my lips. He, finally, pulls away.

"Hayden-" I begin, not wanting to reject such a sweet guy, but I just don't have feelings for him.

He motions his head across the room. "Three o'clock. Chad was looking." I turn slightly to see Chad staring over at me, only to quickly turn his head and raise a red solo cup to his lips. I turn around to see a smiling Hayden. "Just trying to help you out."

* * *

James and Tawni are now done with their design conference so Tawni, James, and I are now mingling with some familiar faces while Hayden, Mel, and Sabrina are competing in an ultimate showdown for the title of Best Ski Baller at Chad and Olivia's Bachelor(ette) Party.

We finally reach Olivia and Chad, the former glowing and the latter seeming slightly awkward.

"Hey, Chad, how's that script of yours going?" James asks him. I wonder how James knows about it. Perhaps he has contacted him about turning it into a movie. I really want to know more about this script, seeing that Chad hasn't had a creative outlet in years, so I keep my ears open and my mouth shut.

"It's pretty much done," he says with a somewhat nervous shrug. "Olivia's read it. Ask her."

"It's an epic love story," Olivia tells him to which Chad rolls his eyes and laughs.

"We've had this argument a thousand times," he informs us before turning to Olivia. "It's just about a boy and a fish."

"No," she says, shaking her head. "It's about desire, and want, and longing."

"What exactly is it about?" I ask, unable to help myself.

Olivia is the first to speak up, cutting off Chad from what he was about to say. "It's about this boy who lives on the beach, and one day, he sees a mermaid. And suddenly his life has meaning. He believes in magic and love and art and beauty. But then, one day, it suddenly goes away. So he spends the rest of his life, coming day in and day out to the beach, looking for this mermaid. And he finally sees her again when he's an old man and his life has meaning again. It's beautiful."

"Sounds it," I say softly.

"You going to turn it into a movie?" Tawni asks Chad. "If you do, I'd love to design for it!"

"I'm not sure," he says uneasily. "Who knows if anyone will want to pick it up anyways?"

"Of course someone will!" Olivia protests, slapping him on the chest with the back of her hand.

Before someone else can speak up, we hear a glass cling, and we turn to see Sabrina standing on the stage with a microphone, with a giddy looking Nico and Grady by her side.

"Hey, everyone," she says, waving at the crowd. "So apparently this room here has some history for Chad as well as a few members in attendance tonight. Apparently, a prom was thrown here many years ago, and our good pals Nico and Grady have found the old surveillance tape so we're all going to treat ourselves while we watch seventeen year old Chad and his old co-workers at their secret prom."

Sabrina steps off the stage and the crowd cheers. Olivia turns to Chad and laughs, excited to see a glimpse of him when he was young.

Please don't let our dance be on there. _Please_ don't let our dance be on there, I mentally beg.

We all start to watch and it's strange to see, considering I never stepped foot inside until I commanded that it be torn down. Everyone laughs at Grady's dancing and the fact that his dance partner spun into me - twice. They finally get to the part when I come in and yell, "Tear it all down!". Everyone laughs loudly and even I cannot help but laugh at it. Tawni puts a hand on my shoulder, and we turn to each other and giggle. Then, I'm all alone and Chad walks in. My heartbeat quickens and I cannot bare to watch it. I turn to Tawni and whisper, "I'll see you outside," before quietly making my way out the door. I walk outside and take a seat on a bench and put my head in my hands.

I just couldn't bare to see it. To see my memories played for all to see. Perhaps it would be different if we were together, but it's like I'm watching a personal rejection on a big screen. I let out a sigh and stuff my hands in my pockets. I'm not sure how much longer this thing will last, but if it lasts too long, I'll probably just text Tawni and catch a cab home. It's been about ten minutes, and there's been no sign of Tawni, Hayden, or James.

I finally hear the door open, and I turn my head, to my surprise, to see Chad. He slowly walks towards me and takes a seat beside me on the bench.

"Hey," I tell him as he sits down.

"I had nothing to do with that," he tells me suddenly and seriously, like if he had, the offense would be too great to bare.

I give him a soft smile and a nod. "I know. Nico and Grady were talking about it, and Olivia heard and she said something about how she wished she could've seen it, and, you know, Nico and Grady...always making dreams come true," I laugh.

He lets out a low chuckle. "I saw you walk out. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," I tell him with a nod and a small smile. I told him that I'd let go. And that's what I'm doing.

"Okay," he nods, leaning back into the bench. He sighs before saying, his tone now lighter, "I'm glad you and Olivia are becoming friends."

I just shrug. His statement isn't really correct, but I'm not going to inform him otherwise. I'm sure he already knows.

"Well, she's your fiancee and she's Tawni's friend. So she's obviously a pretty great girl," I say.

He nods. "It's good you two are getting along cause it'd be weird, ya know, living without you. I mean, you really changed me. I want you to know that. And that I appreciate it. You set a standard and for a while, I couldn't hang, but you kept pushing. You made me a better person, Sonny."

"You always had it in you," I tell him, looking up at him. "You just needed someone to get it out. And now, thanks to me, you're not marrying twins."

He laughs, which makes me chuckle a little as well. "But seriously, I always thought I would be one of those actors who's fifty dating twenty year models. I aspired to be that. I never knew I could...have a real relationship." He turns to look me in the eye and tells me, "You taught me how to love, Sonny."

I give him a meek smile, trying to hold back every ounce of want and desire, trying to hold back everything, trying to let go. I simply respond with, "You taught me how to love."

He looks down and bites his lip before letting out a loud sigh, slapping his hands on his thighs before standing up. "Well, I'd better get back inside. You wanna come?"

I contemplate staying before letting out a sigh. "No, I think I'll head on out," I tell him. "But I'll, uh, see you around."

He's unable to help himself.

"Good," he says.

"Good," I reply with a soft smile.

He cocks his head. "Fine."

"Fine," I say.

He turns to walk back inside, the door shutting behind him.

I decide to walk back to Tawni's. It's not too dark yet, and the weather is lovely. I stand up and hear the slow click clack of my heels on the pavement.

I hum a little before singing, "Tell me what to do, ooh, about you. I already know I can see in your eyes when you're telling the truth..."

* * *

 **Alright guys...did you catch it? Don't worry! If you didn't all will be revealed in the next chapter so review if you'd like to see another chapter! Tell me your thoughts and opinions! I LOVE reading them!  
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	13. Chapter 13

Today is the day. Chad is going to marry Olivia. The service will be at a beautiful yet simple church, which is a little strange considering their backgrounds. However, I think both Chad and Olivia, especially Chad, wanted it to be a more intimate service. The bigger the church, the more paparazzi outside and the more attention it brings. I never thought I'd see the day when Chad Dylan Cooper rejected attention, but then again, I never thought I'd see the day when Chad Dylan Cooper would marry anybody but me.

This wedding will be tough, no doubt, but I can handle it. It's the happiest day of his life, and I am not going to ruin that. I roll over in the bed and reach for my phone, dialing the number of the one person who can help me get through this.

"Hello?" answers the familiar soothing voice of my mother.

"Mom," I say, my voice cracking. I didn't expect it to so soon, but I can already feel the tears coming on.

"Sonny, what's wrong?" she asks, her voice sounding concerned. Her concern soothes me.

"Chad's getting married today," I tell her. My voice continues to fail me as my voice breaks, but I promise myself that I will not cry and I wipe at my eyes to prevent tears.

"Oh, honey..." she trails off. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I wish I was there with you. Are you going?"

"Yeah," I tell her. "But I don't want to." I can just picture it all happening in my mind, and I can't bare it already.

"Sonny, if you don't feel like going, then don't. No one will judge you," she tells me.

"But I told Chad that I'd let go, and he wants us to be friends, and I want us to be friends. It's his wedding. I can't not go to Chad's wedding," I whine.

"Well, if it all becomes too much for you, just tell Tawni you want to leave. She'll understand," she says before adding, "And Sonny, I know you don't believe this, but you are going to be okay. I raised such a strong, beautiful girl, and you're going to go on to find the love of your life, and you're going to forget all about the boy who you dated when you were young."

"But mom-" I say, my voice starting to break even more and I'm glad when she cuts me off.

"If Chad can't see how amazing you are, then he's not the one for you," she says, as if it were just a fact of life.

I let out a small sob before quickly stopping any more from escaping my quivering lips. "But what if I'm the one for him?"

* * *

I start to walk out of the house, ready for Chad's wedding, when I see a box at the front door. I look around, wondering if it was accidentally placed at the wrong house. Perhaps Tawni ordered some makeup online or something. I pick it up. It's fairly small, and I open it up to find a note that reads 'Sonny'. I open the note and it says -

"Sonny, seeing you come by my apartment the other day was one of the most exciting shocks of my life. Your apartment became my home and it's so cool for me to be able to live in a house with so many memories. I noticed that the writing under the cabinet door really shook you so when we redid the cabinets, I asked my dad if he should save the carving. He did so I decided to give it to you. I'm not sure what it means, but if it's important to you, then it must be pretty special. Thanks for giving me a peak into your world.

\- Miranda

P.S. Despite when I said, I never actually gave up on love. Neither should you."

I set the note down on the chair on the front porch and open the box to find a piece of my cabinet with Chad and mine's inscription. It's in a small frame, and I run my hand over the glass. I let out a sigh and put the things back in the box before heading back inside and grabbing a marker from the kitchen drawer. I write, in big letters: RETURN TO SENDER.

* * *

It's almost noon, and as Tawni and I pull up to Chad's wedding, I feel a pit in my stomach, like it's just completely empty. She parks her car in front of the church among a line of other cars.

"I cannot believe we don't have dates for this thing!" Tawni exclaims as she gets out of the car. "What kind of guy takes his friend camping for the weekend?"

James had decided to take Hayden camping, and ever since our incident with Candy Face, Tawni has been completely turned off by the mere thought of camping.

"Jake Gyllenhaal?" I suggest with a small chuckle.

She turns to me and kinks up an eyebrow with a smirk on her face. "Now there's a thought."

We start walking down the street and towards the church when we see Nico, Grady, and Mel, with a beer cooler in the back of Grady's coupe. They're all standing around it, drinking from their cans.

"What up, what up? Who wants a beer?" Nico asks, reaching into the cooler to reveal two ice cold beers, still dripping from condensation.

"You're tailgating at Chad's wedding?" Tawni asks with a laugh as we approach them. I grab one of the beers from Nico's hands and fiddle with the tab.

"Like you don't want one," Nico says, handing Tawni the beer, which she gladly accepts.

"So, Sonny, you got a plan?" Grady asks, his hand draped across Mel's shoulders.

I look at him quizzically before asking with a small laugh, "A plan for what?"

"To steal Chad back," Grady says, as if it were totally obvious. Tawni and I exchange looks, and Tawni does not look happy that Grady brought this up. I'm not too thrilled either.

Everyone awkwardly looks around and Grady sarcastically replies, "Oh, like I'm the only one thinking like that."

"Okay, here's what you do," Nico speaks up, holding his hand out and leaning in as if he's talking to a football team huddled up before their final play. "When the preacher says, does anybody have a reason these two shouldn't get married, BAM!" he exclaims, clapping his hand together before pointing to me. "That's you."

I roll my eyes at him and laugh as Tawni informs him, "They don't do that at real weddings, Nico."

"Oh," he says, sounding disappointed. "Well, they should then. That's good drama."

"Ooh!" Grady says, raising his hand. "What about this? We drug Olivia, even though we all love her, then we put Sonny in the wedding gown so that when Chad lifts up the veil, there's Sonny!"

Mel laughs at him and Tawni is quick to refute his idea. "First of all, that gown is tailor made so no way. And second of all," Tawni says, putting her arm around me, "Sonny is going to be fine." She gives me a look and I nod at Nico and Grady as proof.

"Right," Nico says, giving her a pointed look before turning to me. "You know I love you, Sonny, but you are so far from fine that you're not in the same area code."

I awkwardly roll my eyes once again and scratch my head, looking anywhere but someone's face.

"Wait," Nico says. I can tell that he's getting a new idea. "Maybe Chad will say the wrong name at the alter like Ross did on Friends."

"Here, I got a plan," I suggest, sounding peppy, before revealing the most logical plan, "How about this? How about Sonny puts on a nice dress, watches Chad get married, gets wasted, and has drunk meaningless sex with some guy at the reception?"

"Yes," Tawni says with a nod of approval.

"Hey, did I ever tell you how sexy you look in that dress?" Nico jokes, making us all laugh.

"Alright, I guess we should head on in," Mel says, shoving her phone back in her purse.

Grady grabs three beers and shoves them in her purse as well as Nico shuts the back of the car. "See you both inside," Nico says as they walk off.

Once they're gone, Tawni turns to me and places her hand on my shoulder. "I meant what I said. You're going to be fine."

"I know," I tell her with a weak smile. "It's just...a lot, ya know?"

She nods before giving me a quick hug. "You ready to head inside?"

* * *

Sabrina walks down the aisle as the maid of honor, the music playing, and Chad stands on the stage, awaiting his bride-to-be. Everything feels like it's going in slow motion and in my head, I can see Tawni walking down the aisle instead of Sabrina, and Nico and Grady being ushers instead of sitting behind Tawni and I. The flower girl walks down the aisle and I can imagine it being my little cousin. I watch her toss the petals in the air without a care in the world. Suddenly, everyone stands up and I follow suit. Tawni grabs my hand and gives it a quick, tight squeeze.

The doors open to reveal Olivia, looking absolutely beautiful. The smile on her face is a mile wide, but what kills me is the small smirk on Chad's face. That's exactly how I imagined it to look whenever I walked down the aisle. We all take a seat once she finally reaches Chad, and they join hands, looking into each others eyes.

Why did I chose to sit front row for this?

"We give thanks today," the preacher begins. "For Chad and Olivia, and the love that they share. May we all be changed by what is said and witnessed here today."

I suddenly hear Nico whisper in my ear, "I got you, Sonny." I turn my head slightly to see his arms resting against the back of my pew and he's leaning forward. I just roll my eyes and smile at him before turning back to the front.

Tawni turns around as well and whispers, "Behave or I will smack you," sending him the death glare.

"It's a mystery," the preacher continues, "how we fall in love, who we fall in love with, why we fall in love, but we do." He turns to Chad and says, "Chad Dylan Cooper, do you take Olivia Jamison Baker to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you-"

The preachers word fill my ears and I feel as if the last moments of my happiness are being narrated. I know I shouldn't, but I have to. Unable to take it anymore, I stand up and, my voice trembling, say, "Chad, you can't."

The crowd murmurs and gasps and only Nico says with a satisfied smile, "That's what I'm talking about!" He claps his hands together in approval, and Grady pumps his arm in the air. Chad and Olivia sightly turn outward to me, their hands still interlocked. Olivia's expression is one of betrayal, and Chad's is one of pure shock.

"I'm sorry," I say, stepping out of the pew. "I'm sorry, but you just can't because _I_ love you, and because...because you danced with me at prom."

"Oh boy," Tawni says under her breath.

"And I remember that day, not for the prom, but because that day changed everything, and I didn't even know it at the time, but when you danced with me, you made me fall in love. And when you proposed to me two years, I just wasn't ready. I was lost and scared so I said someday, but someday is now. It is. Chad, I love you, and I'm in love with you, and I never want to live without you."

At least that's what I should have said. But instead, I listen to the preacher drone on the tiresome words before the dreaded 'I do' comes.

"Do you promise to be true to her, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Do you promise to honor her for all the days of your life, as long as you both shall live?"

There is still one small ounce of hope in me, that Chad will change his mind. That he'll say that he needs a minute or that he'll run over to me and tell me how in love he is with me and almost marrying Olivia was the dumbest thing he's ever done. That he's in love with me and no one else. That he never stopped loving me. Or maybe he'll just run out with no explanation. Anything will be better than hearing him say-

"I do," he says with a smirk on his lips, which causes Olivia to break out into a wide smile.

And I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me. My head feels like it weighs a thousand pounds, but the rest of my body feels completely weightless. I look down and clench my jaw to prevent any signs of emotion, my mouth agape, and I look back up, watching the tragedy happen.

Chad places the band on her finger, his other hand still intertwined in her other one. She stares down at it and lets out a deep breath.

"Olivia Jamison Baker," the preacher begins, "do you take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to be true to him, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Do you promise to honor him for all the days of your life, as long as you both shall live?"

Now she's going to say it, and this will all be over. I start to turn to Mel and tell her to pass me a beer in order to avoid hearing Olivia say-

"It was a mermaid," she says, looking down as if in deep thought.

Wait, what?

I stop myself from turning around, and the crowd murmurs, obviously confused by her statement.

"Excuse me?" the preacher asks after a moment's hesitation.

"It was a mermaid, Chad," Olivia says, looking him straight in the eyes.

Chad cocks his head to her before turning to the preacher. "Could you just give us a moment please?"

The preacher raises his eyebrows (this obviously hasn't happened before), and he backs away a few feet.

"The boy saw a mermaid," she says, as if it completely explained her sudden 'revelation'.

"Okay," he says dully.

"The boy saw the mermaid and he felt as if his life had meaning, and when it went away, he waited his entire life for it to come back to him," she says, staring at him with a look of betrayal in her eyes, but more so a look of clarity.

He cocks his head, smirking slightly, and gently puts both of his hands on her upper arms, just beneath her shoulders. "Olivia, I love you, but this really isn't the time for a script review."

"Chad, when did you fall in love with Sonny?" she says sternly. My heartbeat quickens at the mention of my name. He awkwardly looks into the audience, and we're all mesmerized by what is happening. I haven't been able to take my eyes off of them, but I can only imagine how Tawni, Nico, and Grady are reacting.

"Olivia-" he begins, letting out a deep breath.

"Please," she says softly.

* * *

 _"So you finally made it?" Chad says, walking into the now barren room with his hands in his pockets.  
_

 _"Chad?" I ask with a questioning tone. "What are you still doing here? I thought you'd be the first to go."_

 _"Which is exactly why I had to be the last to go," he says, leaning in as he continues to walk towards me, before stopping a few feet away from me._

 _I cross my arms, and muster up the courage to admit that I was wrong. "Well, Chad, you were right: all proms end in disaster," I say with a small, disappointed laugh._

 _He smirks at me, only slightly, before replying, "Do they, Sonny? Do they really?" He begins walking towards me again. "Cause sometimes, I heard you get to have that perfect dance with that one special person." He stops right in front of me and reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out a pair of earphones. "Just gonna have to settle for me."_

 _I look down at the earphones, and a grin covers my face. I take the earphone from him and stick it in my ear, him doing the same. He grabs my hand, and I place my other just beneath his shoulder as we both begin to sway back and forth._

 _I smile at him. "This is sweet."_

 _He shrugs with a smile on his face as well. "I have my moments."_

 _And there we danced, him in his black tux and me in my third choice for the evening - the blue and green mermaid costume.  
_

* * *

I look up at Olivia, and I can see tears in her eyes as she gazes into Chad's blue ones, searching for truth in them.

"The boy saw the mermaid...and suddenly his life had meaning," she shakes her head and lets out a somewhat bitter laugh.

I can tell Olivia wanted him to say something, but instead, he just stares back at her, unable to come up with an answer.

She shakes her head and looks down at the rings before sliding them off her fingers. Chad shakes his head at her actions.

"I'm sorry, Chad," she says, handing him the rings. "I can't marry you."

I see a tear run down her face, and Chad doesn't even look in her eyes. He just has an expressionless stare on his face as his palm is outstretched with the two rings in his hand. Olivia hikes up the front of her dress before walking down the steps and hurrying out of the church, everything turning and their eyes following her out the door.

My mind goes numb, and my mouth drops open. Tawni places her hand on my shoulder and I turn to her, looking for an explanation as to what just happened. Chad watches her run down the aisle and takes a few steps down the stairs before practically falling down on the steps, sitting as he watches her leave him.

* * *

The church is now empty, save for myself. I'm still sitting in the pew I was when I witnessed Olivia leave Chad at the alter. I hear footsteps, but I don't turn around to see who it is. Instead, I hear Tawni's voice as she sits down next to me.

"Well, that was a crazy wedding, huh?" she says. I just stare straight ahead, still thinking over those two words - I do.

"It's the same old story," I tell her finally. "Girl falls in love with boy. Boy proposes to girl. Girl rejects boy. Boy proposes to woman. Woman almost marries boy. Boy loves woman. Girl still loves boy."

"Sonny," Tawni begins, turning towards me, "go talk to the boy you love."

"He said 'I do', Tawni," I tell her, dully. "The preacher asked if he would love and cherish Olivia forever, and he said I do."

Tawni rolls her eyes at me and suddenly says, "Bitch, you need to stop." She then looks up towards the ceiling, realizing where she is. "Sorry."

She then turns back towards me. "Okay, you need to talk to him," I let out a sigh at her words, not wanting to fulfill them. "Just talk to him. And if you let the fact that Chad said I do today to Olivia while he was obviously lying to himself and his own heart be the reason that you sit here and cry, I am going to smack you across your pretty face."

She brings me in for a hug. And all I can think about is what I'm going to say to Chad next.

* * *

 **Ps - Gotta hand it to purplewizard23 ;)  
**

 **REVIEW! This is obviously the most important chapter of the story, the climax, so I'm DYING to know EVERYONE'S thoughts.  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you guys SO SO MUCH for all the reviews! They mean the world to me! Keep em coming! They give me such inspiration and motivation to keep writing.**

* * *

Tawni's POV

It's been two days after the disastrous wedding, and Sonny is still sulking away, as if Chad was actually now married. It's so obvious to everybody but Sonny and Chad who Chad really loves. I read the script. It was late one night and I snuck into the writer's room. Chad's laptop was left on the table, and he must have forgotten it because I saw him leave the studio a half hour before. Unable to help myself, I opened his laptop to see the script on there. It wasn't finished, but the premise was still the same. A boy sees a mermaid, and he believes in life. Then the mermaid goes away, and his intellect and logic are telling him that it won't come back, but it does. And his life is whole again. Anybody could see that that mermaid fits Sonny perfectly. If Sonny could just read the script, she'd understand.

But instead, she decides to whine and complain about how Chad said "I do", as if that's all there is to it, but there is so much more that she hasn't seen. Sonny walks into the kitchen around 10 AM, still wearing her pajamas and wearing a blanket like a cape. She walks over to the fridge and grabs a bowl of watermelon before grabbing a fork and digging in.

"Sonny, it's day two of this moping around. You have got to stop," I tell her, shaking my head at her.

"Tawni, this is worse than Chad getting married," she tells me with makes me give her a non-believing, questioning look, ushering her to go on. "I had prepared myself for him getting married. But now, he's in love with a girl that won't marry him because she thinks he's in love with me when he obviously is not. No matter what I do, whether it's directly or indirectly, I always end up hurting him."

She takes a seat at the bar stool and sets her bowl on the counter. She bites a big bite of watermelon, and the juice falls down her chin.

"Sonny," I say, grabbing a napkin and handing it to her. She takes it and wipes her mouth. "He's still in love with you. And you'd know that if you'd just talk to him instead of living all couped up in this house in your pajamas with ratty hair."

She shakes her head before solemnly saying, "I'm starting to think he never was."

I roll my eyes at her and slap my hand on the kitchen counter. "Sonny, do you hear yourself? He proposed to you!"

"Okay, but that was a spur the moment thing when he was 19," she denies. "He probably proposed, came back to LA, realized what a mistake he made, and moved on that night. I bet when he started that movie, he took one look at Olivia and thanked God that I rejected him."

I let out a sigh, tapping my fingernails on the counter, thinking over whether I should tell Sonny what happened the night Chad came back from New York.

"Sonny, I never told you this, but after Chad proposed to you, he came back to LA the next night, and we hung out," I tell her, biting my lip.

"What all did you guys do?" she asks, raising her eyebrows, sounding a little betrayed.

"Talked a lot. Went out to eat. Sonny, he was an absolute wreck. More of a wreck than he's been over losing Olivia," I add.

"What happened?" she asks, her curiosity peaking.

* * *

 _I wait in the classy, upscale restaurant, checking my phone every few minutes. Fifteen minutes have passed until I finally get a message._

 _"Can't make it tonight. Something suddenly came up," reads the read._

 _I clench my jaw from anger and a twinge of humiliation before locking my phone and shoving it back in my purse. I stand up and turn around to see a face I haven't seen in over a year. He's sitting at a table with a man, who walks off soon after. A smirk crosses my face as I walk over to the now deserted TV star._

 _"Well, well, well," I say behind him, crossing my arms. "Chad Dylan Cooper."_

 _He turns around and a smile crosses his face. "Tawni Hart," he says with a twinkle in his eye, standing up._

 _"Are you cheating?" I ask him playfully, putting my hands on my hips._

 _He looks at me questioningly before realizing what I meant, which causes him to chuckle. "That was the casting director for a new movie I'm shooting. He invited me here for a few drinks."_

 _"So you're a big time movie star now, huh?" I ask him with a small grin on my face._

 _"You're a big time fashion designer," he retorts. He stares at me for a few seconds before letting out a sigh, "Gosh, it's so good to see you, Tawni."_

 _I smile at him. Gosh, Sonny's changed him. "Yeah, it is."_

 _"I haven't talked to you in ages," he tells me. "Want to find a place just to talk? I wanna know what you've been up to."_

 _"Well, how could I pass up on a night on the town with a big time movie star?" I ask him with a grin._

* * *

 _We decide to go back to my house. It's a huge mansion with great big columns and lavish furniture. My clothing brand has really taken off, thank to help from my mother. She really does know how to manage and make money out of her investments. I'm just the designer.  
_

 _"So, my mother moved in here with me since my dad travels so much," I inform Chad as we walk into the living room. "But I think they should just call it what it is: trial separation."_

 _"Hm," he nods, looking around the house with his hands in his pockets._

 _"I can't believe you're going to be in a Spielberg movie. You're gonna be so legit," I tell him, slapping him playfully on the arm._

 _"You're the one with the big clothing line," he tells me. I've never seen Chad deflect a compliment. Something seems off, but I cannot quite place what it is._

 _"True," I tell him, reaching down on the coffee table and picking up my design up. "But my mom thinks we can do better with that too. Look at this." I take a seat on the couch and open the book. He sits beside me. "We have...high end couture," I say, flipping through the pages. "A cosmetic company, and my own magazine," I say, sounding a little patronizing about the ideas._

 _He makes a sound that's a mixture of a scoff and a laugh. "T. Hart?" he asks. "Hey, it can give my movie its first good review."_

 _I give him a soft smile before shutting the book and placing my arms atop of it. "Sometimes expanding seems like a good idea and sometimes...I don't know. I mean, I get to spend a lot of time with my mom, which is great, but I'm scared if I let her take over, Threads isn't going to mine anymore, ya know?"_

 _"Yeah, I do," he says with a nod. "That casting director tonight was talking about all these little changes he wants me to make for the role, mannerisms and such, but I want the character to be my own."_

 _"Pretty high class problems we got," I say with a small laugh, making him chuckle as well. "We should be celebrating, not complaining. Where's Sonny? She must be so thrilled for you."_

 _He pauses, shaking his head from side to side, and announces with a shrug, "We broke up."_

 _"Shut up," I say playfully, not believing him at first, but he just looks me in the eyes, swallowing hard. "Oh, Chad, I'm so sorry. What happened?"_

 _He bites his lip, "I went to New York, I asked her to marry me, and she said no."_

 _My mouth drops open at the words he says, and I close my eyes for few seconds, shaking my head, before opening them to regain my thoughts. "Are you stupid?"_

 _He stands up and steps a few steps away from the couch with his hands in his pockets as I start to rant, "You stormed New York and went all Teen Mom without the baby on her? Did you even buy a-"_

 _He turns around to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring in the opened box._

 _"Ring," I finish, my mouth dropping open. "Oh my gosh, Chad, you're insane! What did you even say? You probably scared her to death!"_

 _"Well," he says with a slight bitter laugh. "I got down on one knee," he says, acting out his words as he gets down on a knee, holding out the ring to me. "And I said, I want us to be together forever."_

 _His voice breaks a little at the end, and I give him a sad smile. Suddenly, I hear the front door open, and Chad and I both turn to see my mother walking in. She gasps and drops her shopping bags._

 _Chad and I exchange looks before I smile, "Nevermind. You definitely did it right."_

* * *

 _I laugh as we sit at the table outside a nice restaurant under the stars.  
_

 _"Did you see the look on her face? I've only seen that look once before, and it was when someone accidentally dropped ice cream on her Jimmy Choos," I giggle._

 _"I'm glad you're enjoying this so much," he says sarcastically, obviously offended at my mother's reaction._

 _"Oh, come on, Chad. You and Sonny will work it out. You always do," I tell him._

 _He shakes his head, looking down. "I don't think so, Tawni. Not this time. This time it's...different."_

 _"Well, to me, it sounds like you gave her and ultimatum, and trust me, there is no quicker way to get rid of a girl," I inform him, raising my eyebrows as I lean back in my chair._

 _"Okay, let's see," he says. "How many times have you talked to Sonny since she left for New York?"_

 _Whatever trace of a smile that was on my lips is now gone. "That is not fair, okay? We're both really busy."_

 _"And today, she broke up with her boyfriend," he says with a nonchalant shrug. "Did she call you?"_

 _I turn my head, not wanting to answer his question, but my lack of response is answer enough._

 _"Things have changed, Tawni," he tells me._

 _"I think you're saying that because you're hurt," I tell him. "And I get it, but I don't think you really mean it."_

 _He just looks down, and this time, his lack of response is answer enough._

 _"Ya know what?" I tell him, trying to cheer him up with a suddenly peppy tone. "I think we need to get drunk."_

 _"Alright," he smirks, about to call the waiter over before I say, "But first, let me see the ring again. I'll give you a designer's opinion."_

 _I hold my hand out and he reaches into his pocket, handing me the ring. I open up the box and admire it._

 _"It's really beautiful," I say._

 _"Well, well, well, congratulations!" says one of the waitresses passing by, causing us both to look up. She starts clap, and everyone looks over to us, beginning to clap as well._

 _"Oh," I begin, holding my hand up._

 _"Champagne on the house!" she exclaims. "We have an engagement, everyone!"_

 _I look over at Chad who just gives me the look of a kid who got his hands caught in the cookie jar, but a small mischevious smile is on his lips._

 _The champagne cork pops off the top, and a waiter serves us._

 _"No," I say, but it's obvious that no one will listen to me. I finally surrender with a shrug, putting the ring on my finger. Chad and I both giggle a little at the ridiculousness of it all._

* * *

 _"So who knew the ring trick would get us free drinks all over the city?" I ask, playfully slapping him on the chest with my purse as we walk down the sidewalk.  
_

 _"I know. Gah, I hope no one recognized us," Chad says with a small chuckle._

 _"They were all either old or drunk," I assure him. "We're fine."_

 _We start to pass between a man sitting on a bench and a white horse carriage parked on the road._

 _"Can I give you two a ride?" asks the elderly man._

 _Chad and I exchange looks and he says, in a very formal voice, "Why not? It is our engagement night, after all."_

 _He holds his arm out for me to interlock with mine, which I do as I hold up my other hand to showcase the ring with an exaggerated smile on my face._

 _"In that case, the ride's free," the man says, getting off the bench and onto the driver's seat of the carriage._

 _"This diamond ring is gold!" I exclaim, climbing onto the carriage, Chad following behind._

 _We clop down the street, smiling at each other at the craziness of this past night._

 _"So what do you two have planned for your lives together?" the man asks us as he directs the horse down the road._

 _Chad and I look at each other, contemplating our answer._

 _"Um," I mumble, before coming up with my answer. This man is obviously too old to know who we are. "We're going to be a power couple. He's going to be a famous movie star, and I'm going to be a high end fashion designer," I say confidently with a grin._

 _"But we're still going to have time for a big family," Chad interjects, putting his arm around me._

 _"Two boys and a girl," I throw in._

 _"And I'll coach little league on the side," he says._

 _"Oh, and I'll bake treats for the team!" I exclaim giddily. He raises an eyebrow at me. "Or buy them."_

 _"And then we'll spend our summers in our beach house in South Carolina," Chad tells me._

 _"And winters in the south of France," I say dreamily, leaning into him._

 _"But it won't matter where we are, as long as we're together," Chad says with a mischievous grin on his face and I have to hide my laughter._

 _"That's the key," the man says. "Success is wonderful, but finding someone to love and having them love you back...love is what life is all about."_

 _I look over at Chad to see him looking down and biting his lip, obviously too sensitive to those words right now. I just pat him on the knee, hoping to console him in any way I can._

* * *

 _We walk into Chad's apartment building, Chad leaning on my shoulder, roaring drunk from all our free drinks. They finally kicked in on the walk home.  
_

 _"Alright, boozy," I say, my arms wrapped around his waist. "Let's get you to bed. Come on."_

 _He aimlessly looks around the room, all of his weight leaning into me. I lead him into his room and set him down on the bed so his feet as still touching the floor._

 _He examines the bed before deciding, "The bed is spinning."_

 _"Alright," I tell him, starting to unbutton his collared shirt. "I'm going to get you into some pajamas, and then I'm going to take a cab home, and you can just sleep all the alcohol off."_

 _I get done unbuttoning his shirt as he starts to fall down into the bed more. I try to grab him to pull him up a little, but instead, he grabs me by the arms and pulls me into him slowly._

 _"Or," he begins in a husky voice. "You could stay."_

 _And before I know it, he's kissing me. I'm so shocked by his action that it takes me a few seconds to pull away._

 _"Okay," I say, holding my hands out to him as I stand up completely. "That was the second stupidest thing you've done in the last twenty four hours."_

 _A look of utter heartbreak washes over his face as he's reminded of the events that took place just twenty four hours ago._

 _"Chad, this isn't right. I love Sonny, and even if you don't want to admit it right now, so do you."_

 _"I feel-" He begins, sitting up, his voice cracking, searching for the right word. "-lost, Tawni. I don't know what to do without her."_

 _His sad eyes look up into mine, wanting an answer._

 _"Look, this is what you're going to do: you're going to go become the best person and the best actor you can be, and then you approach Sonny. And if she comes back to you, it's meant to be. Okay?" I say softly._

 _He nods a little, but he still looks hopelessly forlorn._

 _"I'm gonna go," I tell him, taking the ring of my finger and placing it in his palm. "Bye, Chad."_

 _And with that, I walk out the door._

* * *

I told her everything, even the kiss. I felt like she deserved to know.

"Sonny, he has always loved you," I tell her. "You just really hurt him that night. That night changed him. He went back to that version of himself that doesn't let people in, and then he finally let Olivia in, though I don't think all the way, and she loved him. Sonny, he's scared. I think he's scared of how in love with you he is. If he gives his heart to you again, you have total control of it. I think he's scared that you're going to break it again."

She lets everything I told her sink. "Wow," she says. "He kissed another girl right after I rejected his proposal. Yeah, he's so in love with me."

And with that, she walks back off to her room.

* * *

 **I know this chapter is a break from all the drama, but I just wanted to give a little more insight into Chad after Sonny rejected him. Also, I've been dying to explore the Tawni/Chad friendship as well as try Tawni's POV. Let me know what you all think! And I promise, the next chapter will continue with all the fallout from the wedding!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

It's been a week since Chad was jilted at the alter, and after my conversation with Tawni, where she told me the whole story of what happened after Chad and I had broken up, I was upset and then suddenly, very numb. Yes, he did kiss Tawni, but I do also understand that he was devastated as well as roaring drunk. At the end of the day, thinking about something that happened two years ago doesn't matter because it won't change anything.

But something good did come out of that story. I decided to take Tawni's advice to Chad two years ago and throw myself into my work. Mel and I have been working non-stop on my upcoming album and we already have seven songs done, five recorded. Mel has been such a big help, and I feel guilty that we hadn't recorded anything of hers up until an hour ago. I could tell by the grin on her face that she was very excited to be recording, and the single will be let out soon. But we still don't have a name for the label.

I'm currently working on some music, sitting at the piano and singing along with the bridge I just crafted. I'm now just adding different harmonies and such on the piano. I sing loudly, losing myself in the lyrics and the melody, so much so that I don't even notice Sabrina walk in. The door slams behind her, and she jumps, forgetting how heavy the door is.

"Sorry," she says with a guilty smile, walking over to me. "I just heard you singing and...well, you sound great."

I smile at her, taking my hands off the piano keys and placing them in my lap. "Thanks," I say with a smile.

"Is that a new song?" she asks me.

"Yeah," I nod. "It's not done quite yet but I've been working on it practically all week."

She nods and opens her mouth as if she were about to say something, but she then stops herself.

"What?" I ask her, kinking up my eyebrow.

"Oh, I just...I just think it's great that you're really throwing yourself into your music. It's really paying off. Plus, it's a great way to...ya know...get your mind off things," she says, though I can tell she regrets saying that last part.

I just give a forced shrug. "I don't really have anything to think about, except this album being produced."

"Well, I just meant," she begins, though she seems to be at a loss for words. She resigns herself to saying, "Oh, come on, Sonny, you know what I mean!"

I just give her a look that motions for her to go on, a clueless look.

"Okay, look," she begins, walking closer towards me and resting her forearms on the piano. "Before the wedding, I told Chad that he shouldn't marry Olivia."

I'm completely shocked by her words. She's one of Olivia's greatest friends here in LA. Why would she want to take away the happiness of a close friend?

I just smile a confused smile. "Why?"

She answers the question as if it were obvious. "Because I read his script and when I did, I knew right away that he was still in love with, whether he's ready to admit it or not."

I roll my eyes at her. Why does everyone keep saying this?! Everyone is telling Chad what he feels, and he's obviously rejected their conclusions. It's hard enough to let go on my own, but throwing in people who claim he's still in love with me doesn't help.

"Sabrina, it's a script, okay? You can't draw those kind of conclusions from a story," I tell her.

"Oh really?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. "What about when you write your music?" She motions to the papers on the piano with lyrics and notes on them. "Doesn't your subconscious always end up sneaking its way in there and you don't even realize it until the song is finished?"

She does have a point. I think back to when I read Mel those lyrics of my song that I preformed at the patio. I literally asked her to translate the line "I can't stop loving you". Gosh, I'm a mess.

"I think Chad's the same way with his writing," she observes.

"Well, I watched him on that alter and it's very clear to me where his heart lies. So if I can see it, I'm not really sure why Olivia can't. It's unfair to Chad," I say. I feel annoyed with Olivia for rejecting such a wonderful guy who his throwing his love at her like it's loose change. Chad already has enough reasons to be mad at me, and her rejecting him because of me gives him another one. "He loves her."

Sabrina takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, thinking of how to express what she's about to say next. "I think she's just afraid of the idea of you, your history with him. Think how you'd feel if the roles were reversed."

Chad and I do have a deep history. We were each others first loves, but first love doesn't always last. In fact, it rarely does. But I can't just sit around and wait for him, considering he's still utterly in love with Olivia. It's unfair to me. I'm letting go.

* * *

Chad and I walk side by side, observing the beautiful day before us in the park near Tawni's house. He came back from his week vacation to his mother's house in Cape Cod today, and Tawni called him to help her with setting up a shelf. She did this for two reasons: she didn't want to call James because apparently its suicide to ask a guy you like for help, but also, she wanted to be a meddler. I've taught her too well, and now it's working against me. Tawni told us that she had to jet to go supervise the renovating of her new store, and then Chad suggested that we go on a walk near the park. I obliged.

"It must've been nice to see your mom," I say, my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket.

"Yeah," he nods, looking around at the trees, his hands in his pockets as well. "I think we both needed it. She's been pretty lonely after my dad died." He suddenly makes his voice light-hearted. "Plus, the view was great."

"Oh, I'm sure it was beautiful," I say with a smile.

We walk in silence for a few steps before he stops suddenly. "I don't blame you, Sonny. For any of it."

"Chad, I-" I begin, relived that he brought this up because I've been dying to say what I'm about to. "I feel bad for you. And I feel bad for Olivia, and I feel...responsible somehow. I don't want that to come off as arrogant, but...I know this really hurt you."

He pauses, looking over the pond as I talk. He turns to me, and he wears a small, confident, hopeful grin on his lips. "She's coming back to me, Sonny," he says, putting his hand on my shoulder. "She loves me, and I love her. It'll be okay." He pats me on the shoulder a couple times before returning his hand to his pocket.

I just give him a small smile. "I hope so," I say.

I'm proud of myself for letting go, but, and maybe it's just my eyes playing tricks on me, but I could see a twinge of hurt in Chad's eyes when I said that.

* * *

After my conversation with Chad and Sabrina, I decided to take action. I mulled it over yesterday, and today, I'm finally doing it. Yes, I know Chad doesn't blame me for Olivia leaving him, but I still feel responsible. I know in my heart that this will be the final step of letting go: I've got to bring Olivia back to Chad. I've got to convince her that he's in love with her and that she is the one for him.

Tawni informed me that Olivia moved back to New York right after the wedding so I hopped on a flight early this morning and arrived at noon. I asked Sabrina where I could find her, and apparently, today is Olivia's first day back as a makeup artist on Broadway. After some direction from a woman at the front, I've finally found my way backstage, and I see a sign on a door that says "Hair & Makeup". I take a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in!" exclaims the familiar female voice.

I walk in to find Olivia sitting at a makeup table, alone, with her laptop resting on the table. She turns to see me, and her mouth goes slightly agape. I can tell she wants to roll her eyes at the sight of me.

"We need to talk," I tell her, closing the door behind.

She lets out a deep breath, shaking her head slightly. "What are you doing here, Sonny?"

"I know it's very weird and totally inappropriate of me to come here, but I'm here for Chad," I say, before adding in, "and for you."

I can tell how hurt she is still, and she tries to sweep it all under the rug. "I already told him, Sonny, there's nothing to say."

"Please," I beg in a soft voice. "Just hear me out."

She lets out a sigh and leans back in her chair, motioning for me to go on.

"Look, I know that Chad loves you, and he hasn't wavered from that. Yes, he may have written about a mermaid, but...in his nonfiction life, he seems very much in love with you." My voice has turned a little cold, though I didn't mean for it to.

She leans forward. "Have you read the script, Sonny?" she asks me. I just stare at her blankly. She smiles in a bitter way, letting out a small chuckle. "I didn't think so because if you had, you wouldn't be sure who Chad loves and how much."

"Olivia, the script is a work of fiction!" I stress, talking with my hands, as if that would make her understand more. My voice turns softer. "But what wasn't fiction was the fact that he said I do to _you_ in that church."

She just turns away from me and stands up before walking over to a big suitcase. She unzips it and picks up a large stack of papers stapled together before walking back over to me, holding out the stack for me to take. I read the top of the page: The Mermaid by Chad Dylan Cooper.

"It's not me that needs to make a decision about Chad," she tells me. "It's you. This is the copy of his script he gave me to read when he finished it. Go home, Sonny. Go home and read his script."

* * *

I sit on the plane, my fingers tapping away at the armrest as I contemplate whether I should take the script out of my bag and read it or not. That would work very much against the premise of letting go, but the curiosity is killing me. I decide that I'll read it, but only to prove that it's not about me. So I guiltily reach into my bag and open up to the first page and soon enough, I'm at the very end.

The script reads:

She was more than just a mermaid because of what she brought to his life: beauty, direction, meaning. There were many who couldn't understand, and sometimes, he walked among them. But even in his darkest hours, he knew in his heart that someday she would return to him, and his world would be complete again. And that his belief in art and love and life would be re-awakened in his heart.

* * *

 **Pretty short chapter, I know. But please let me know what you all think and if you want this story to continue! I still have a lot in store so let me know if you're still interested!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for all the quick reviews, guys! They really encourage me to write quicker so keep them coming. Also, I'm doing half third person point of view/Sonny's POV for this chapter. So, sorry if you guys prefer only Sonny's POV but everything in this couldn't be expressed using hers. This might be a little weird to read because of that but let me know what you think about it! Enjoy!**

* * *

Another week has passed, and Sonny and Chad have both been working furiously. Sonny has been writing and recording nonstop, so much so that even Mel can't keep up with her and she's been having to take some time off to recoup from Sonny's all night song-writing sessions. Chad, on the other hand, has refused to write another script, seeing that the first one he wrote resulted in him being left at the alter. Instead, Nico and Grady's director is still in the hospital, and they need to record a Christmas special episode that will be released in a few months, and Chad has agreed to direct. He's been working nonstop with the cameramen, the actors, the lights, everything, to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.

Chad's currently sitting in the director's office, mentally prepping himself for the recording. It's almost time to start when Chad's phone starts to vibrate on the table, and he tilts it up just enough to read the caller ID. His mouth becomes slightly unhinged, and he feels as if his heart has stopped. It's Olivia. He takes the phone in his hand and answers quickly so that she won't go to voicemail. He pauses a few seconds to make sure his voice is calm and steady.

"Olivia," he says in a soft, surprised voice. "Hi..." She responds, asking if she was interrupting anything. "No, no, I'm about to direct, but, I'm just so glad you called. I was-I was beginning to worry." A small smile creeps up on his face at her response. "Yeah, I'm excited. I loved directing it before." He closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. "Gosh, I've missed you so much." She begins to speak again, but this time, her words make his face slowly contort into a frown as he listens to them. "Oh," he says, his voice wavering.

* * *

"Cut!" Chad shouts loudly. He walks over to Nico, pointing his finger at him. "What the hell was that Nico? This is supposed to be serious! I know you're on a comedy, but this is one scene where you need to show some emotion! Either get your act together or get out!" Everyone watches him in complete horror, and he suddenly turns around and walks back over to the camera.

"Alright, roll the cameras!" he exclaims. "Action!"

Nico begins to do the scene again, barely getting halfway through the scene when Chad shouts "CUT!" again.

This time he turns his attention to the girl. "You're supposed to be happy! He just proposed to you! Why do you look like your grandma just died?!"

"I-I'm sorry," the female actress says in a soft whimper.

"Yeah, well, get it right or I'll find an actress who _can_ act!" he exclaims.

"Chad," the producer scolds. Chad glances at him, but then returns back to the cameraman.

"Let's go again, and this time, do it right!" he shouts. "Action!"

The scene starts again, but this time Nico and his fellow actress don't even make it a quarter of the way through. "Cut!" he exclaims again. "This is absolutely ridiculous! The only reason this show is called a comedy is because the acting on here is laughable!"

"Chad!" the producer exclaims, walking over to him. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but you need to cool down or leave."

"Are you serious?!" he exclaims, raising his eyebrows at him. "They're the ones who can't do their job right and you're going to make me leave?"

"Throw his dumb ass out," says a gutsy extra who is walking past him. Chad whips around and grabs him by the collar. "I'll throw _you_ out, punk!"

Suddenly, there is a huge sea of people surrounding the two of them, trying to tear Chad off of the guy. They eventually do, and by this time, Nico has made his way over to Chad, helping restrict him. Nico hurriedly leads him out of the door and into the hallway, Chad eventually giving up but looking angrier than ever.

"What the hell was that?" Nico demands.

"That kid had it coming! He's been smarting off to me this whole filming. You know that's the truth!" he exclaims.

"You grabbed him, Chad!" Nico defends, although he does agree that the kid was being a complete smart aleck to Chad the whole episode.

"Yeah, and I should've knocked him out!" Chad shouts, punching the wall with his fist before grabbing his hand with his other quickly to try and relieve the rush of pain he felt. "Damn it!"

He takes a seat on a bench as he holds his hands together tightly, looking down at the floor, trying to regulate his breathing.

"This is not good, Chad," Nico says. Yes, Nico and Chad have had their differences, but Nico certainly saw potential in Chad as a director, and this outburst could have blown his chances in Hollywood.

"She's seeing someone else," Chad responds, his voice dangerously low. He turns up to look at Nico. "She called right before we went on...I can't believe it. She was supposed to come back to me."

Nico sighs, crossing his arms. "Chad, I know you don't want to hear this, but what if she doesn't? I mean, what if she never does? You can't just sit around and wait for her. Maybe it's time to move on."

Chad stands up, letting out a deep sigh, clenching his jaw. He walks up to Nico and in a low, angry voice says, "She's supposed to come back." And he then walks off.

* * *

Sonny's POV

I stand in front of the counter at The Patio with Mel on the other side. She's been taking orders all night it seems like, and finally there is no line.

"So am I allowed to ask what's going on with you and Chad or is that like saying Voldemort?" she asks.

Gosh, she and Grady are perfect for each other.

I shrug, "There's really not much to tell. It's not really something he wants to talk about, ya know?"

"Well, I know how to fix that," Mel says. "Get him drunk. Guys always tell the truth when they're wasted."

"Oh, says the girl who married a guy who's never drank in his life," I say, with a small laugh.

"Well, I had a boyfriend before Grady, and the only way I could get him to be affectionate with me was when he was drunk. Any other time he'd just act like I was a pain so I'd get him drunk all the time," she says with a nod. "Now, that is what I call a brilliant plan."

"No," I say, "that's what I call a dysfunctional relationship." I roll my eyes playfully at her. I take a look at the clock on the wall and notice the time. "It's getting late," I tell her. "I'd better get going."

"Alright, see you tomorrow," she says.

"Bright and early!" I remind her.

"Yeah, we'll see," she laughs. I smile and turn away from her. I start to head out when I see Chad, his head laying down on his arm on the bar counter, looking absolutely hammered. I walk towards him, making sure that it is him and not someone who looks similar from behind, but as I approach him, there is no doubt that this is Chad.

"Chad!" I say forcefully. His reaction is delayed, but he perks his head up, looking in front of him and wondering where the noise came from. I tap him on the shoulder. "Hey," I say, trying to gain his attention. I move my head down to try and make eye contact with him, but he just puts his head back down again. "Hey, come on," I say, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around my shoulder, grabbing him by the waist and helping him off the chair, leading him out of the restaurant, him blindly following me.

* * *

I cover Chad's naked torso with his covers as he lays in bed. I had managed to get him undressed and into some Pajama pants earlier, but he refused to put on a shirt, saying he just wanted to go to sleep. His head lays on the pillow, and his eyes are shut. I can't tell if he's asleep yet or not. I take a seat on the side of the bed, next to him and look down at his sleeping face.

"Oh, Chad," I say sadly, running my hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry. I don't want this for you." I lean down to give him a soft kiss on the forehead before standing up and heading towards the bedroom door. Just as I'm about to walk out, I hear his voice.

"Sonny," he mumbles.

I turn around, his voice filling up my level of hope to an absolute maximum. He perks his head up slightly and his eyes dart around, looking me up and down, before his face turns into a scowl and in a low voice, he says, "I hate you."

My expression falls and my eyes contort into a confused, devastated look. "What?" I ask softly, completely horrified by his words and thinking I must have heard them wrong. He isn't in love with me, but he certainly doesn't hate me, does he?

"I wish you never came back," he says. "You ruined my life." He then turns his head to the other side before resting it on the pillow, flailing his arm up on the pillow beside his head.

I just stare at him in shock, before looking down, letting his words digest and Mel's words ring loudly in my head: _Guys always tell the truth when they're wasted_. My mouth still open wide with shock and me absolutely speechless, I let myself out the door.

* * *

 **Alright, another short chapter, but I have a lot planned for the next chapter! What do you think about Chad's drunk "confession" and what do you think it means? Think he means it? Hm...Haha! Pretty pretty please review and if I get five reviews, I'll try and upload the next chapter by tomorrow night. No spoilers, but you're going to want to read the next chapter. It's a big one. Also, be sure to tell me what you thought about the two points of view in a chapter. Alright, that's all from me!  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Alright, guys. Thanks for the reviews and I'm so excited for this chapter. I figured with this chapter I'd be going back and forth too much with the points of view so I'm doing third person again, but hopefully this will be the last time and I can get back to Sonny's, unless you prefer this. Be sure to let me know!  
**

* * *

Tawni Hart stands in the center of her store. Her arms are crossed as she admires the clothing and the set up of it all. It's everything she's ever wanted, and she did it all alone. The store will be opening soon, and although she would never admit it, Tawni is nervous about sales. She has never been one to have a head for business, just a love of fashion. She's worried that she didn't get the marketing right or the number of employees on hand will be too low or high, but she then reminds herself that she's Tawni Hart...and pretty.

She lets out a sigh as she observes the place and turns her head when she hears the bell ding, signalling the entrance of Chad.

"Chad, what are you doing here?" she asks, genuinely confused. She had mentioned the store to Chad before on multiple occasions, being that they worked together, but she had never given him any details on when the store would be done.

"I just wanted to drop by and bring you a store-warming gift," he says, a small, elegantly wrapped box in his hands.

She turns so her face is away from Chad, smirks slightly, and turns around, walking towards him. "Gimme," she says with a grin.

Chad laughs at the enthusiasm that she's trying so desperately to conceal. He hands her the box swiftly, eager to see her reaction. She opens it up, and her mouth drops open in excitement.

"A bedazzled business card holder!" she exclaims, picking it up and admiring it. Her face turns serious and she nods, looking up at him. "I love it."

"You're nervous about this, huh?" he asks.

She lets out a sigh before taking a seat on a lavender couch, clasping her hands together on her knees. "It's everything I've ever wanted, but maybe what I want isn't what consumers want. My mom knows so much about all this, and I'm so clueless."

Chad takes a seat next to her, and she looks up at him, her eyes begging for an answer. "This is coming from the girl who buys an outfit and then it's sold out the next day," he says with a slight chuckle. "You've got this. Tawni Hart is going to change the world someday, and she doesn't even know it."

That makes Tawni smile at him, but her smile quickly goes away when she remembers something. "Okay, I gotta ask you something," she says. "Did you tell Sonny that you hate her?" Her tone is disbelieving because she never thought Chad was capable of such words, even if they are lies. Sonny had told her last night what Chad said, but Tawni couldn't quite believe it.

Chad immediately gets a guilty look on his face, and he scrunches his eyes together and turns his head from side to side. "Maybe," he admits. "I was a little wasted last night."

Tawni lets out a groan. "Gosh, Chad, you can be such a jackass sometimes. She is in love with you!" she exclaims, talking with her hands, stressing each word, hoping that it would finally make him understand. "You broke her heart."

"Oh, I did not!" he scoffs, rolling his eyes. "You're being ridiculous."

"Oh, I'm being ridiculous?" she asks, scoffing at him. She shakes her head, looking down before turning her attention towards him. She looks him straight in the eye. "Ya know, it really hurts me to see what you're doing to yourself."

Chad leans into her and, in a stern voice, says, "Olivia said no, Tawni. I said yes."

"Oh, don't give me that, Chad," she says, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I'm being honest with you, and you need to be honest with yourself." Chad just looks down, shaking his head. "What do you want?!" she asks forcefully. "If it's Olivia, you're in love with: great. If it's Sonny: great. If it's whoever-just stop hiding your heart." He lets out a sigh through the side of his mouth and leans back into the couch. "And I know you only think I'm saying this because Sonny's my best friend and she is, but you're my friend too Chad. I want you to be happy and so does Sonny, but you can't be happy if you're hiding what you feel." She stands up. "I mean it." And with that, she walks into the back room, returning only a few minutes later to find no sight of Chad.

* * *

Mel plays a melody on the piano, "I'm in love with a nerd/he isn't a jerk/ he's so great to me/ his name's Grady," she sings before groaning angrily. "Sonny, I cannot figure out lyrics for this song!"

Sonny laughs at her lyrics before suggesting, "How about I hate you, you ruined my life. Does that do anything for you?"

"Sonny, he doesn't hate you," Mel insists, taking her fingers off the piano keys.

"Then why would he say that?" Sonny demands.

"Because saying he hates you is safer than saying he loves you," Mel tells Sonny, who is just shaking her head in disagreement. "Sonny, this is the guy who wrote a whole movie script about how much he loves you!"

"That's what he writes, but what he says..." Sonny sighs, defeated. "What he says is a whole different story."

Mel purses her lips together in thought before perking up once something comes to her. "Remember when you wrote What To Do?"

"Yeah, why?" Sonny asks with a shrug, wondering what this has to do with anything.

"Let's reminisce on a few of those lines, shall we?" she suggests, looking up the lyrics on her phone. "Ah, here we are. You think about it can you ever change?  
Finish what you started, make me want to stay. Tired of conversation, show me something real. Cause it's been a long time coming, I can't stop loving you."

Sonny puts her hands on her hips after running a hand through her hair. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well," Mel sighs, putting away her phone before looking into Sonny's eyes, "sometimes, people write the things they can't say."

* * *

It's fairly late into the night, and the moon, the streetlights, and few passing headlights are the only source of illumination as Chad drives down the deserted road with Tawni in the passenger seat. He had returned to her shop later in the day, seeing that his cell phone had fallen out on the couch without him noticing, and he offered to drive Tawni home. She happily took him up on his offer, not wanting to have to call a cab.

"So this morning, I called about new fabrics, and you would not believe all the different shades of burgundy there are," Tawni tells him as he drives along the rode.

"Oh my gosh," he says, suddenly, his eyes focused on the sky ahead of him.

"I know," Tawni says, not paying attention to whatever has captivated Chad, and thinking they were still talking about her day. "You wouldn't think I'd be the girl to design a burgundy dress, but if anybody can design it, it's me."

"Tawni," he says, nudging her. She looks up at him and follows his gaze. At first her mouth drops open, but quickly, a smirk replaces her expression of shock. Painted in huge letters on the very billboard that Chad professed his love for Sonny on many years ago, written over and over again until the billboard is filled, are the words _I will always love you_ ~ _Sonny.  
_

* * *

"Well, it's very Sonny," Tawni admits once she reaches the top of billboard, placing her hands on her hips to admire her friends work. Chad finally reaches the top as well and stares at it in awe. He takes a seat on the floor of the billboard, and Tawni takes a seat beside him, their backs to Sonny's proclamation.

"Ya know, I called Olivia this morning and I asked if she missed me and if she still loved me," he says, almost laughing at the irony. "And she just said that she had to go."

Tawni places her hand on his back and rubs in it a consoling manner.

"I'm thinking about taking off for a while," Chad tells her.

Tawni knows it's not her place to say, but she cannot help herself. "Chad, stop running." She gives him a forceful nudge. "Come on. You've got to let go of this dark weight you've been carrying around."

Chad looks out into the sky, staring at all the bright stars and the full moon. "Right before my dad died, and I started to get really depressed, my dad told me that the darkness doesn't have any answers."

"He's right," Tawni says softly, rubbing his back slowly before resting her hands in her lap. Tawni gets a small smile on her face as she says, "You know that romantic notion that all the pain and the darkness is actually really beautiful and poetic?"

Chad just nods, knowing the theory well, being that he was on a hit drama show for seven years.

Her smile falls and she turns to look at him seriously. "It's not. It's just pain and darkness. You know what's better?" she asks, feeling convicted by her own words, seeing how they apply to her own life so well too. "Love."

He looks at her seriously in return, seeing the emotion in her own eyes as she speaks. "The day that you start believing that love is overrated is the day that you're wrong." He looks away from her, seriously contemplating the words he just heard. She puts her head on his shoulder. "The only thing wrong with love...is not having it."

They sit for a while until Tawni decides that it's time to go home. She stands up after patting Chad on the shoulder. "Let's get going. It's late."

Chad stands up and turns around to see Sonny's words on the billboard, and suddenly, he is unable to move. She starts to head down the ladder when she notices that Chad is just staring at the billboard. "You coming?"

"Yeah, hang on," he says softly. Tawni decides to give him a minute alone so she climbs down the ladder, leaving Chad alone. He pulls his phone out of his pocket to find that he has a voicemail from the one girl he's been dying to hear from since she abruptly ended their conversation on the phone this morning. He taps the play button and holds it up to his ear, watching the billboard as Olivia's words fill his ears.

"Hey, Chad," she says, her voice shaking and she sounds as if she's been crying. "I've been thinking all day about what you asked me, and I guess I've just been scared of your love, of being completely yours." She pauses. "You asked me if I missed you." Another pause. "Of course I miss you." One last pause. "It's all I do."

He pulls the phone away from his ear once he hears the beep and he looks down at his phone and then up at the billboard, wishing for a simple moment of clarity that just wouldn't seem to come.

* * *

"Yeah, I'll give you a call if I see him," Sonny tells Mel, her cell phone lodged between her shoulder and her cheek as she searches around the studio for some papers. "Yeah, I'm sure he's just working late." She hears the door open, and she turns to see Chad standing in front of the door with his hands behind his back, which completely halts her searching.

"Hey, I've gotta go," Sonny speaks into the phone. "Alright, bye." She grasps the phone with her hands and shoves it into her back pocket. She doesn't dare to look at him, feeling suddenly embarrassed by her display of affection, wishing she had never had that conversation with Mel. It's silent for a few moments before Chad finally speaks.

"I don't hate you," he tells her in a soft, honest voice. That causes Sonny to look up at him, though she doesn't utter a word. He lets out a sigh and walks over to her. "I remember the first time I saw you, with your skinny arms and your big smile." He comes to a halt. "It was hard letting you go, Sonny. It was hard losing you, and..." His voice shakes a little. "...it was hard seeing you again. It's... _still_...really hard."

Sonny just nods at him with a sad expression on her face, completely understanding what he meant. "While I'm asleep," she begins, finally speaking up, "I have this dream that we're back in that hotel room in New York, and you propose to me," she says softly. "And every single time, I say yes."

He doesn't look at her as she speaks, but once she's finished, he decides on, "It's just a dream, right?"

She nods sadly before saying, in almost a whisper, "It's my dream."

He nods to her before stretching his arms out. "It's late. I should get going." He slaps his hands on his thighs. "I'll see ya around, Sonny," Chad tells her.

"Yeah, I'll see ya around, Chad," Sonny replies. Chad nods before walking out of the metal door, letting it shut tightly behind him.

* * *

Chad had packed for his getaway, the one he had told Tawni about, the one she had told him was not a good idea. And he had arrived at the airport as just as he was about to buy his ticket, it happened. Chad had received his simple moment of clarity. It wasn't when he saw the billboard nor was it when he heard the voicemail nor was it when he had his conversation with Sonny, but it was when he purchasing a ticket, of all places. He couldn't discern what had triggered this revelation, but it didn't matter. Because in that moment, he realized that he was in love, and every instinct contrary was just a denial of that truth.

The moment had passed, and now, Chad is taking a seat on a bench in the airport. He reaches for his phone in his back pocket and calls the girl he loves. It rings a few times before he hears that voice that has become music to his ears. "Hello?" says the girl.

"Hey, it's me," he says, his tone very serious. "Look, I'm at the airport, and I've got two tickets to Las Vegas." He looks up at the people passing by him before his tone becomes very casual as he asks, "Do you want to get married tonight?"

* * *

 **Okay guys...I'm DYING to know EVERYONE'S thoughts. I'm so stoked to read the reviews so please please please comment, even if it's nothing special. I'm not going to say anymore haha but please LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.**


	18. Chapter 18

**This is not another chapter and I'm so sorry! But I still have a lot planned for this story so I'm wondering if everyone is still interested and they would be interested in reading many more chapters with plots that sort of deviate from just the Olivia/Chad/Sonny triangle. So in the reviews, please type either 1, 2, or 3.**

 **1 = Continue on with this story. I'm interested in reading a lot more.**

 **2 = Wrap it up pretty soon.**

 **3 = Do a sequel.**

 **Pretty pretty PLEASE let me know your thoughts, even if you aren't one who normally reviews. Of course, if you have more to say than just the number, feel free to do so!**

 **Thank you so much in advance and I will try to have the next chapter out soon!**


	19. Chapter 19

**IMPORTANT UPDATE:**

 **Alright, I have decided to make a sequel to this story called Life With You, and it will be posted VERY shortly so please check it out if you want to see who Chad picked and if you want even more drama! I want to thank all of the readers of this story. This is my first fanfiction multi-chapter story and for it to be this well received is something I'm so thankful for! All of you are amazing and thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**


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